Frogs of Winter
by stephfarrow94
Summary: Squalo takes in an abandoned Fran, much to the initial displeasure of Xanxus. However, thoughts change and feelings evolve further down the line, and Xanxus soon knows he wants the aptly-dubbed frog for himself. Yaoi, Xanxus X Fran, X26, AU.
1. Chapter 1

If there was one thing that pissed Squalo off more than any other, it was when Xanxus became so unreasonable about the fact that, though he _had _run out of his monthly supply of steak and wine, it was inhumane to expect his boyfriend to go out in heavy snow and freezing cold just to get more – than again, it was either deal with a bit of frostbite or be pulling bullets out of his body with a set of tweezers. Squalo already knew which option he'd rather take.

Squalo would have _loved _to have taken his car down to the grocer's, but said vehicle was currently being repaired after a certain _someone _put bullet holes throughout the expensive car. Not that the man was naming anyone in particular, but _someone _should learn to control their anger and not shoot at things they needed.

"Fucking stupid piece of fucking..." Squalo angrily kicked snow out of his path as he tried to hurry the normally-fifteen minute walk from the grocers to his home along, shuddering as the bottom of his pant legs became saturated. He wasn't happy _at all_, and he just wanted to get home – the fact that the moon bore down on him and it was too dark to see his surroundings properly didn't help, either. "Goddamn fucking – who's there?!"

Squalo had sharp senses, and he knew footsteps when he heard them. These ones sounded small, as if they belonged to either a child or a very small adult. There was also a hint of uncertainty about the gait, but the fact that they got louder with each thud told Squalo someone was approaching him.

The long-haired male prepared himself for the worst, confident in his strength to be able to fight off an impending attack – but what he hadn't been expecting was for a tiny hand to reach out of the darkness and grip tightly the long jacket Squalo was wearing.

The man tensed as a small body pressed against his side, the other shaking violently against him. Nothing was said between them; Squalo just reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone, using the light from the touch screen to illuminate the unexpected visitor.

It was a very small boy, his teal hair splattered with snow. He was wearing next to nothing; a sleeveless white shirt and khaki shorts. His skin was an unhealthy shade of blue, a sure sign that if the man didn't do something soon, this boy was going to die.

"Where's your house?" Squalo naturally expected the boy to live on this street – a kid wouldn't get far in this weather wearing what this one was. The boy didn't reply, his teeth chattering the only answer the adult received. Taking a different approach, he instead asked, "Why are you out here alone? Do you have parents?"

The kid shook his head, emotionless teal eyes looking up into dark ones. "...Mama... went to see her new boyfriend... She s-said... she didn't want m-me... to come... S-so to w-w-wait here for her... She e-even k-kept my... warm clothes... for when... she c-came back..."

"What the fuck?" Squalo was appalled by what he was hearing – as someone who had legal guardianship of a teenager, it made him sick to know that there were parents out there who didn't give a fuck about their kids, and this was a clear-cut case of abandonment. Dropping his shopping to the ground, the long-haired male was quick to shrug his jacket off and instead wrap it around the quivering body. "Bullshit. How long have you been out here for?"

"Long enough..." Tiny hands gripped the fabric tight, instinctively pulling it tighter against him. "...I miss mama..."

"Forget that bitch." Scooping the kid up into one arm, Squalo grabbed the plastic bag with his free hand, continuing on with his walk home. "She wouldn't have left you out here like this if _she _cared about_ you_."

"S-she said... she'll be back..."

"That's a lie, brat." Squalo growled to himself as he kicked again at the snow mounds, taking his frustration out on the weather. "You'd have died if you didn't approach me. Why the fuck didn't you go to someone sooner?"

"...Because... strangers are bad... But so c-cold..." Squalo recognised the desperation in the younger's voice; he had heard it enough times.

"Well, _I'm _not bad," Squalo reassured.

"You're a s-stranger... Y-you could b-be..."

"Fuck no." The adult snorted at the boy's words. "If I was bad, I wouldn't have the annoying little shit I do that _lives _to make my life miserable."

The boy nodded, too tired to argue. "W-what's your n-name...?"

"Squalo. Yours?"

"...Fran... C-can I... call you g-grandpa...?"

"Hell no, brat!" Squalo was naturally a loud person, so it wasn't surprising he snapped at the question. "I'm not even a fucking grandpa!"

"Oh, well." The boy – Fran- just shrugged, as if he wasn't fazed at all. "I tried."

"Little shit..." The man sighed, knowing he wasn't far from his home now. "Almost there..."

Fran let his eyes slip closed as he was carried, having not been so close to another person in a long time. His mother was distant from him, and she very rarely touched him in an affectionate manner. He was enjoying this so much, he almost wasn't aware of when he had been taken into a house.

The entrance hall looked nice, Fran thought. The walls were void of any decoration, but they were a nice creamy colour that the boy thought looked pretty. There were several rooms branching off the hall, a stairwell further down from them, and a small passage beside it that probably led to the backyard. It was much nicer than the hotels and apartments he had been in with his mother.

"Voi! Asshole!" Squalo kicked the front door closed behind him as he shouted out to someone else. He took the first doorway on the right, bringing Fran into a large living room. There were bookshelves scattered against the walls, filled with various things from DVDs and books to ornaments and photo frames. There was a widescreen TV mounted to the far wall, an entertainment system resting beneath it. Two couches and a very expensive chair were situated in front of it in a crooked C, and said couch had an occupant resting comfortably in against the red material. "I got your shit!"

"Then fucking cook it, you stupid piece of trash." The chair's occupant, a man with dark-hair and scarring on his face, turned fierce red eyes to the silver-haired male. There was a wine glass in his hand, and Fran didn't miss the way fingers tightened around the base of it in annoyance.

"Fuck off." Squalo stepped into the room, dropping the shopping onto the coffee table in front of one of the couches. He then moved over to a fireplace not far from that chair that seemed to demand respect, dropping Fran in front of the angry flames. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Don't care, trash; I'm hungry."

Squalo rolled his eyes as he took his jacket back from the boy, sliding it over his shoulders once again. He reached out, patting a teal head in a semi-awkward manner before he said, "I'll be right back; I'll get some dry clothes for you to change into."

Squalo said nothing more to his partner as he stood back up, leaving the room. Fran locked gaze with red eyes, more curious than anything; now that he was finally getting a bit of warmth back into his body, he was feeling better.

"What's your name?" Fran questioned childishly.

The dark-haired man was silent for a few seconds before he growled out, "Xanxus. What the fuck are _you _doing here?"

"Grandpa brought me here." Fran remained emotionless as the other snorted.

"'Grandpa'?" A smirk crossed the other's face. "Good one, trash."

Fran blinked innocently as he looked around at his new surroundings, surprised to find a second body curled up on the couch across from him. They had their back to the teal-haired male, messy locks of blond hair obscuring anything Fran could use to identify their gender. A purple-and-black striped shirt donned their seemingly-skinny body, and they were so still, the kid almost wondered if they were still alive.

Before Fran could open his mouth and question who the blond was, Squalo had come back into the room. He held a shirt similar to what the blond was wearing, but this one had red stripes instead of purple. There was also a striped hoody in tow, as well as a pair o f black shorts.

"Take that tattered shit off and put these on instead." Squalo tossed the clothing to his guest, turning to the blond on the couch instead. "Hey, Belphegor... Wake up."

"He's out to it," Xanxus growled, wishing his boyfriend would stop messing around and get to work on his steak already; he was fucking _starving_. "He won't wake."

Squalo grunted as he reached out, shaking a thin shoulder. He turned to look at the taller male, an accusing look in his eyes. "The fuck did you give him?"

"Sleeping pills." The dark-haired male shrugged. "Stupid trash wouldn't stop complaining and it was pissing me off."

"You fucking moron, you _know _he's not supposed to be having shit like that!" Squalo sneered as he leant down, pulling the still body into his arms. "That shit's like giving elephant tranquilisers to a kitten for him. Simple medicine would have sufficed, dumbass."

"He'll live. Probably." Xanxus just twirled his glass around as he glared out of the window opposite him and out into the snow-drenched gardens. "Don't really care either way."

Squalo grunted again as he turned around, the blond in his arms. He glanced over at Fran, finding the boy only half-finished with his task. Grabbing the younger's attention, he said, "I'm just going to put this shithead to bed and then I'll deal with you."

Fran nodded, waiting until everyone had stopped looking at him again before he took off his pants and slipped the shorts on instead; they were big enough to act as pants for him, and Fran liked that.

Xanxus didn't turn to look at the boy until he knew Fran had dressed himself. He snorted again at the sight of the younger, dressed in clothing that was far too big for his scrawny body. "Trash."

Fran shrugged, sitting back down in his spot. He tugged the hoody over him next, so happy to be warm again.

Squalo didn't take long at all to come back, and when he did, he had some blankets and a pillow with him. He was silent as he made up a bed on the couch before he turned the TV on, putting the volume down just low enough to be heard but not bothered by.

"There you go." The long-haired male patted the makeshift bed as he yawned, suddenly looking as tired as he felt. "Go to sleep and we'll figure out what to do with you tomorrow."

Fran nodded, clambering up onto the couch. A faint, barely visible smile crossed his face as he was tucked in, having never experienced such a thing before. He didn't mind the hand that ruffled his hair, instead finding it comforting.

"Night, brat..." Squalo muttered as he stood up, grabbing the plastic bag he had abandoned previously.

"My steak. _Now_." Xanxus growled, getting up to follow the younger male into the kitchen.

"I fucking am, Xanxus!" Squalo snapped back. "Fuck! Patience!"

Fran flinched slightly as the living room light was flicked off, having never liked the darkness. He was just glad that light from what he assumed was the kitchen filtered in through the doorway, and the TV illuminated his surroundings as well.

Suddenly, Fran's exhaustion had hit him like a ton of bricks, and he was out to it like a light.


	2. Chapter 2

When Fran's eyes opened the next morning, it was to a most delicious smell he'd never known before. He sat up on the couch, looking over the back of it towards the doorway. He wasn't sure where it was coming from, but he would most certainly follow his nose in hopes of getting at least a crumb of whatever was being cooked; he was used to not being fed and denied food, so he wouldn't complain if he was told no.

As expected, Fran found the source of the smell in the kitchen. Squalo was standing by the counter, playing with a square-shaped device the boy had never seen before.

"What's that?" Fran pointed to the device, curiosity shining in his emerald orbs.

Squalo turned around at the younger's voice, stifling a yawn. "It's a sandwich toaster, brat. Want one?"

Fran nodded, moving over to the adjoining dining room. He pulled a chair out from under the table, sitting at the head of it as he waited patiently for his breakfast. His stomach was rumbling eagerly, unable to recall when his last meal had been.

Squalo was silent as he finished off his own toasted sandwich, putting it on a plate and leaving it by his side. He made a second one, and while it was cooking, he started on a pair of smoothies.

The boy reached out happily when, just a few minutes later, a plate was handed to him. He went to grab the first slice, only to have Squalo reach out and took his hands in his own.

"Wash your hands first, brat; you can get sick otherwise." Squalo was calm as he spoke, wondering if the kid had even been _taught _such hygiene before. Probably not, judging by the overall dirty appearance of the younger. "There's hand-wash on the sink."

Fran didn't question the other; he instead did as he was told, knowing that the sooner he complied, the sooner he could eat.

Squalo watched the kid clean his hands, sipping at his smoothie in contentment. He didn't speak until Fran had sat back down, wondering just how docile the kid was – his own charge had taught him long ago that looks could be deceiving.

"So... I'm taking it you don't have the best mother in the world?" Squalo took a bite out of his breakfast as he waited for the answer.

Fran shrugged, taking a minute to reply; he was much more focused on his food. He swallowed before he answered. "I love mama... But I don't think she loves me..."

Squalo nodded in understanding. "Do you _want _to go back to her?"

"..." The boy chewed at his bottom lip, thinking hard. "...Mama... leaves me with Grandma a lot... I don't think mama really wants me around... I want to go back to her, but... I don't think I should..."

"I don't think you should, either." Squalo sighed as he rested his elbow on the table, putting his chin in his hand. He regarded the smaller male with a soft expression, knowing there was _no way _he was letting the younger go back to his parent – not after the bitch had left him out in the snow like that. "You can stay here with us if you want; you'll be happier."

Fran nodded, really too tired to argue – the truth was, as much as he loved his mother and wanted to be with her, he _hated _the way she treated him and didn't want to put up with it any longer.

"I want to stay, please," Fran requested quietly, his young mind telling him that seeing as he had gotten through the night just fine, these people weren't bad at all. He could be more mature than people twice his age at times, but he really was just a kid.

"Alright. I'll talk to Xanxus later. He should be up in a few hours. Fucking lazy ass he is..."

The two ate their breakfast in peace, sipping at their smoothies on occasion. Fran was quick to devour his breakfast, leaving Squalo to realise just how hungry the other was. He felt bad for the kid, but he knew it could have been _a lot _worse if he hadn't done what he had.

"Squ-Squ..."

Squalo turned around to look into the kitchen, finding his charge staggering towards him, a look of pain on his face. The man didn't hesitate to stand up and make his way to the blond's side, reaching out to put his hands on frail shoulders and hold the younger still.

"Belphegor, the fuck are you doing out of bed?" Squalo sighed as he listened to the other's ragged breathing, scooping the teenager up within seconds. "Do you _want _to go back to the hospital?"

The blond – Belphegor, Fran had learnt – shook his head, a soft whimper escaping his lips. "Squ-Squ... Hurts..."

Fran watched as the man shushed the blond before taking him out of the room. He flinched as horrid coughs filled the air, wondering if the other was alright or not.

"Why the fuck are you spaced out?"

Fran blinked at Xanxus' voice, only just noticing the other had entered. The man was moving towards the fridge tucked away in the corner, resurfacing with a plate of meat.

"Is he okay?" Fran questioned, watching the other move to the microwave on the other side of the room.

Xanxus shrugged. "Don't care. Shut the fuck up about him; I'm trying to eat."

"No, you're not; you're only just putting your food in the microwave now – if you _were _eating, it would be in your mouth by now."

The dark-haired male snarled as he shot Fran a filthy glare. "Why are you even here? Didn't that bitch get rid of you yet?"

"He says I can stay." Fran was as emotionless as ever, having grown used to behaviour like this over the years; his mother tended to bring back some very questionable men to their home.

"Fuck it; he's already got _one _shithead – he doesn't need another. Stupid blond trash already woke me up today..."

Fran blinked innocently as he raised his cup to his lips again. He was intrigued by this man because, though he was loud and swore a lot, he had yet to raise a hand to him – every other man that had been brought home had done something or other to him, so why was _Xanxus_ different?

"Stop looking at me, trash." Xanxus slammed the cutlery drawer closed with more force than was necessary. "Eat your food."

"I'm finished, though... Can I have more?" Fran lifted his plate into the air, emphasising the fact that it was empty.

Xanxus grunted. "Ask the shark trash when he comes back."

"Okay." Fran put his plate down, waiting patiently for the long-haired man to return. He couldn't help but notice that, once Xanxus had heated his steak back up, he disappeared out of the room again. Did he not eat with the others? Or did he just not want to eat with _Fran? _

The boy wasn't sure why, but the idea that he may not be liked by the older male hurt him.

_**~~XX~~**_

"Fran, this is Belphegor. Bel, Fran."

The two youngest males looked at each other, teal eyes curious while obscured ones were unfocused. Fran tilted his head as he stepped closer to the bed the blond was resting on, reaching out to poke a pale cheek.

"Belphegor looks like crap," Fran pointed out, continuing to prod the older male.

Bel growled as he swatted the hand away, tugging the blanket tighter around him. "The prince does _not_ look like crap, you brat!"

"You forgot to add 'fake' in front of 'prince'." Tiny hands grabbed blond locks, pulling slightly; he was a boy, and he loved playing. "Why _do _you look so crappy?"

Squalo sighed as he pulled Fran away from the teenager, getting in between them. "Fran, he's got pneumonia so he needs to be calm and relaxed. Don't antagonise him or I'll have to take him back to the hospital. Bel, shut the fuck up and go back to sleep. He's going to be staying with us from now on, and you can share your room with him."

"Aww, what?" Bel groaned, not liking this compromise at all. "This is the _prince's _room! Not _his_!"

"Get over it. It's not like we _have _another room to keep him in at the moment, you dumb shit, and he can't stay on the couch every night. I'll be in later to clean this fucking monstrosity of a mess you call a room, and you'd better be good to him or I'll crush your balls with my bare hands."

Bel groaned louder this time, kicking his leg like a child throwing a temper tantrum. "You can't do that to a prince! And why is he wearing _my _clothes?! I never gave permission for that!"

"You're lucky you're sick as shit, or I'd verbally tear you to pieces, you annoying brat" Grabbing the phone that was resting on the bedside drawers, Squalo tossed it onto the blond's chest. "We're going out to get Fran his _own_ clothing and whatever else he needs. Call us if you're dying."

Bel just huffed before he rolled onto his side, his back to the two. "Whatever..."

Squalo snorted, grabbing Fran's shoulder. "Let's go, brat."

Fran took one look back at Bel before he nodded, following the man out of the messy room. He tripped over junk a few times, but he succeeded in getting out_ without _breaking his neck in the process.

Stopping by the room next to Bel's, Fran realised that it belonged to the adults. It was_ much _cleaner than Bel's room, not a thing out of place except for the man that was lazing on the bed, a glass of wine dangling from his hand as he lazily stroked the fluffy white kitten curled up next to him.

"Are you coming or not, fuckhead?" Squalo growled once red eyes had fixed on him.

Xanxus shrugged. "When's the taxi getting here?"

"Five minutes tops. If _someone _didn't shoot at the fucking car, we could have driven into town _ourselves, _you stupid fuck."

"You shouldn't have taken my keys from me, bitch." Xanxus sculled the last of his wine before he threw the glass opposite him.

"Like I'd let you drive drunk, you moron..." Squalo turned away, leaving Xanxus to get ready. "Get your ass ready before the taxi arrives."

"Bitch-face isn't going to stay home with that sick piece of trash?" The dark-haired man got to his feet, pulling his shirt off. "That's a first; you're more of a fucking mother than the faggot trash is."

"Like hell I'm a mother. Belphegor's sixteen; he's old enough to know to call an ambulance if he needs one."

"And how old is _that _brat?" A large thumb gestured to Fran.

"...I don't know." Dark eyes looked down at the boy questioningly. "How old _are _you?"

"Seven." Fran looked between the two adults, not entirely sure of why his age was so important.

"Fuck, they're getting younger with each one you bring home." Xanxus shot an annoyed glare at his lover. "Next one will be a fucking baby you've plucked out of a bin, won't it?"

Squalo rolled his eyes, taking Fran's hand in his. "Just hurry the fuck up..."

Fran followed the silver-haired male back downstairs, moving to sit on the couch as he waited for the taxi to arrive. He watched the other pace around the room, wondering what was on Squalo's mind.

"You and Xanxus must hate each other." Fran didn't blink as dark eyes fixed on him, instead speaking his mind. "Mama always yelled at her boyfriends, and they called her names. Why are you two still together if you hate each other?"

"We _don't _hate each other." Squalo sighed, knowing everyone always assumed they hated the others' guts. "It's just... how we act towards each other... I don't fucking know!"

Fran nodded, knowing it probably wasn't his business how the adults treated each other anyway. All that mattered was that he now had a warm home with working electricity, and someone who actually _wanted _to spend time with him – everything he had always wanted.

It would certainly be a nice touch if Xanxus and Bel seemed to accept him as much as Squalo did, though.


	3. Chapter 3

**A reviewer asked previously, how the pairing was going to work. It's a time-skip pairing, but I'm just establishing relationships and character development before I delve into the time-skip. **

When Fran finally returned home after his shopping trip, he was happy to change into his _own _clothing, ones that Squalo had bought just for him. He was downstairs in the living room, standing by the fireplace as the man lit it; he was relieved to pull off the striped clothing that belonged to Belphegor and instead put on a thick blue turtleneck and warm pants, feeling much more at ease now.

"Hey, brat, can you run some medicine upstairs to Bel for me?" Dark eyes fixed on the boy as Squalo prodded at the small flames, agitated greatly by the fact that the fire just didn't want to cooperate today. "There's a bottle sitting in the door of the fridge; it has his name written on it. You won't miss it."

Fran nodded. He slipped his new socks onto his feet, greatly enjoying the feeling of warmth, before he left the room. While he was gone, Squalo looked over to Xanxus' chair, finding the man sitting peacefully in it as he watched the younger male work with the fire.

"It would have been appreciated for you to ask for _my _consent before letting that piece of trash stay with us." Xanxus narrowed his eyes, sending an angry glare at his partner. "What if I don't want him here?"

"I didn't ask for your consent because you would have said no and sent him straight back out into the cold," Squalo growled. "You're fucking unreliable as it is; I'm not going to ask you when you'd have done shit-all had you said yes – what have you done with Belphegor? You always ignore him and act as if you fucking hate him; you did nothing to help me raise him, so why would _Fran _be any different?"

"Bitch, you _know _I hate people," the dark-haired male spat back. "I don't want to be around _anyone, _and you had better respect that, trash."

"And I _do _respect that, you dumbass; all I'm asking is for you to at least _try _and accept the kids – you don't have to spend hours with them, but maybe a few minutes out of your day would be enough to let them know you _don't _hate them."

Xanxus shrugged, the smaller male's words having no effect on him whatsoever. "Where the fuck is Bester? He needs to be fed."

Squalo growled something inaudible before he stood up, throwing the fire iron down onto the ground with more force than necessary. "Then get off your lazy fucking ass and feed it! It's _your _stupid cat!"

"You'd wanna watch what you say about him or I'll throw your ass out in the cold," the older male threatened. "Now feed him."

Squalo was quick to leave the room, sick of trying to deal with his stubborn-headed lover. He instead muttered to himself as he climbed the stairs, heading to Belphegor's room to check on the two. He wasn't surprised when, the closer he got, the louder the blond's protests became.

"I'm not taking it!" Belphegor kept exclaiming. The mattress beneath him squeaked, presumably as he moved around in a fit. "Princes don't _need _stupid medicine!"

"Voi!" Squalo hissed as he stepped into the room, grabbing both of the younger males' attention; Belphegor had pushed himself against the wall behind him while Fran stood emotionlessly by his side, his hand holding out the bottle of medicine. "Belphegor, take the damn medicine!"

"No!" The blond stuck his nose up in protest, his arms crossed stubbornly against his chest. "Squ-Squ _knows _I hate medicine!"

"You're so stupid sometimes, you shithead," the silver-haired male snarled. He reached out, grabbing hold of blond locks and dragging Bel down onto his side. He rolled the younger onto his back, sitting on Belphegor's stomach and holding his arms down by his torso. "Fran, tip it into his mouth."

Fran obeyed, bringing the bottle closer to the teenager's face. He started tipping it, only to stop as he realised Belphegor's thrashing head wasn't going to make it easy.

"Oh, for fuck sake..." The long-haired male easily brought his charge's hands together, taking skinny wrists in one hand. He held them back down to the side as he used his now-free hand to squeeze pale cheeks, forcing Belphegor to hold his head still and open his mouth at the same time. "Do it now, Fran."

Fran didn't hesitate to tip the rest of the contents into the teenager's mouth, staring blankly as the blond choked and gagged. He tilted his head as he brought the bottle up to his eye level, reading the label curiously; he couldn't be too sure, but he might have just poisoned the older male.

Squalo got off the teenager as he moved to stand by the bed again, patting blond hair in a semi-soothing manner. "You should know by now you're not going to get out of taking your medicine when _I'm _around, shithead – Xanxus, maybe, but not me."

Belphegor frowned at his guardian before he turned to shove at Fran, not appreciative of the other's presence. He slapped the bottle out of the small boy's hands, growling. "Stupid peasant! You can't treat the prince like that!"

"What prince?" Fran looked around the messy room, his expression as blank as ever. "All I see is a stupid blond teenager."

"Little shit!" The taller male spat, pushing himself into a sitting position. "I should –"

"- Shut the fuck up, Belphegor!" Squalo snapped, reaching out to shove the teenager back down. "Go back to sleep!"

"But, Squ-Squ, he –"

"- I _don't _want to hear it!" Squalo sighed as he turned to look at the mess he was standing in. "...I'm going to clean this pigsty up, and once Fran's bed is delivered, I'll set it up on the other side of the room."

Belphegor whined as he shook his head. "But, Squ-Squ! I_ don't_ _want _to share my room with him! What if Mammy comes over, and _he's _in here?"

"Keep it G-rated." The silver-haired male shrugged. "You shouldn't be doing things like that anyway at your age."

"I'm sixteen! You had Xanxus fucking your ass since you were fourteen!"

"Exactly. Don't do it, Bel." Squalo reached out, putting a heavy hand on Fran's shoulder as he turned to him next. "Unless you want to help me clean this fucking trashed room up, go and find something to do."

Fran nodded, silent as he left. He went back downstairs, walking into the living room to find Xanxus fast asleep in his chair, a peaceful expression on the man's face.

The boy reached out, his tiny fingers turning the TV on. He was quick to find the volume buttons, and he turned the sound down just enough for it to be a soft hum, not wanting to disturb the dark-haired male's rest.

Emerald eyes flickered over to Xanxus every now and then, studying the other in curiosity. He was careful not to wake him, worried that he may get in trouble if he did such a thing; he had been hit many times if he woke his mother or her 'boyfriends' up from their sleep, so he knew better.

Fran didn't mind; he was content with watching the TV until Squalo came back downstairs, asking for his help with lunch.

_**~~XX~~**_

"Shouldn't you be in bed by now?"

Fran looked up from the paper he had been drawing on in silence, looking up into red eyes; Xanxus was standing before him, the older male looking agitated. The boy backed up a bit, getting closer to the fire he was sitting in front of to try and fight away the chill in the air.

"It's nine o'clock." The man nudged the younger male with his foot. "Trash shouldn't be up so late drawing shit."

Fran didn't reply to this; he instead lifted the paper he had been colouring in, showing four stick-figures on the page – coincidentally, Xanxus noticed, they all looked suspiciously like themselves. "I drew us. This is me, Grandpa, Xanxus and Belphegor."

Xanxus couldn't deny that for a seven-year-old, those drawings were well-done; they still held the childish appearance any kid would have done, but there was an obvious intelligence in the way Fran had put his crayons to the paper; there were details Xanxus wouldn't have considered a _kid _would add in – cartoonish-Squalo held the same bags under his eyes as the real one did, the oversized striped shirt Belphegor always wore had its bagginess emphasised on the page with a few shades, and even Xanxus' scars looked just like the ones they were based off of.

All-in-all, Xanxus was rather impressed – and that was coming from someone who barely acknowledged his own _lover_.

"I drew us because this is the first time I've ever really been happy and felt safe," Fran explained, dropping his drawing back onto the hardwood floor. "Can I stay here forever? I like being with you guys."

Xanxus didn't reply verbally; he just shrugged as he turned around, too stunned to know what to say; he was so used to being hated and hating in return, the sudden warmth in his heart had taken him by surprise – one Belphegor or even _Squalo _had never been able to give to him.

Waving a hand in a dismissive manner, Xanxus sat back down in his chair, patting the arm as he coaxed the kitten lying by its side onto his lap.

Fran cleaned up his mess, putting the crayons back in the small tub and putting them on the coffee table. He grabbed his drawings and held them close as he stopped in front of Xanxus, staring into red eyes.

"Goodnight, Xanxus." With that said, Fran had disappeared out of the room, leaving a stunned Xanxus behind.

Squalo had been easy enough to find; he was in the downstairs office, sitting at the desk as he chewed thoughtfully on the end of a pen. He spun around in the desk chair as he heard the door open, his dark eyes softening at the appearance of his newest charge.

"What's up, brat?" the man questioned, tossing his pen carelessly onto the desk behind him.

"Xanxus said I should go to bed." Fran held out his drawings as he closed the distance between the two. "I just wanted to give you my drawings first."

"Give them to me? Why?" Squalo accepted the pages as confusion crossed his features.

"Because I drew them for you, really." Fran shrugged. "Thank you for letting me stay; I like it here."

Squalo cleared his throat in uneasiness as he nodded, carefully putting the drawings down on a spare space on the desk. "That's okay, brat... Bedtime now; I didn't notice it was so late – Xanxus has me working like a fucking bitch on these reports."

Fran reached out, slipping his hand into Squalo's as the man led him out of the office and towards the stairs. It was silent between them as they reached the top floor, and words were only spoken once the bedroom door had been opened and dark eyes narrowed at the sight of Belphegor sitting up in his bed, a laptop resting on his lap.

"Goddamnit, Bel!" Squalo snapped, stomping into the room to take the PC from the teenager. He closed the lid as he tucked it beneath his arm, glaring at the defiant blond. "You _know _you're supposed to be resting! Get some fucking sleep!"

While Belphegor protested against the confiscation of his laptop, Fran traversed the now-spotless room, heading towards the new bed that had been set up for him only hours ago. He pulled the blue comforter back as he climbed onto the soft mattress, glad to have something so warm and comfortable beneath him; he hated sleeping on the floor.

"Goodnight, Squalo..." Fran pulled the blankets up to his chin as he rolled onto his side, looking at the two older males.

Squalo looked away as he cleared his throat again, his eyes focusing on anything but Fran as he replied. "Night, brat..."

Belphegor had also rolled onto his side, his back to the others, but unlike Fran, he was silent as he closed his eyes. Squalo had made to leave the room, stopping only to turn back to the blond.

"While I'm thinking of it... No jerking yourself off while he's in here, Belphegor; go to the bathroom if you have to."

"Why are you thinking of the prince jerking off, anyway?" the blond countered, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Voi!" The tallest shouted, stomping his foot angrily on the floor. "I was _not _thinking of you beating the fucking meat!"

"Oh. So you were thinking of going to do it yourself, then?" Belphegor turned his head, looking at the stronger male beneath his blond locks.

A red tint crossed Squalo's face before he stormed out of the room, not a word to be said. The blond just laughed to himself as he lay back down, trying to prepare himself for sleep. He was just about to drift off, when...

"Hey, Belphegor? What is jerking off? And why would you be beating meat?"

The teenager groaned before he growled out, "You'll understand when you're older – now shut up and go to sleep."

Fran blinked a few times before he nodded, glad that the moonlight was filtering in through the window so he wasn't in complete darkness. It didn't take long, but soon he was fast asleep, dreaming of his new life with the other males.


	4. Chapter 4

**With this chapter, I've introduced all of the major characters. I should be skipping to the ten years next chapter; I just didn't want to skip straight ahead and end up having to information dump when it came to character relationships. **

When Fran awoke the next morning, it was to his new roommate having a coughing fit. He rolled over to face the blond, pushing himself up so that he could see what was happening. Belphegor was on his back, thick, rusty-coloured sputum rolling down his chin as it was expelled forcefully from his throat. It sounded as if he were having difficulty breathing, but before Fran could decide what to do, the bedroom door opened and Squalo stepped in.

"Is he alright?" Fran tilted his head to the side, watching as Squalo swiped blond bangs back in order to put a hand to the younger's head.

Squalo was silent for a few seconds before he bit his lip, pulling the blanket from the bed. His dark eyes could see the way his charge was fighting for each breath, and the blue tinge that was starting to form on the younger's skin told him he had to get Belphegor back to the hospital as fast as he could.

"I've got to call an ambulance, Fran," Squalo explained as he wrapped the shaking blond up in the blanket. "I don't know when we'll be back, so you'll have to stay here with Xanxus."

Fran just blinked as he watched Squalo take Belphegor out of the room, not quite understanding what had happened; he knew that the teenager was ill, but was it really that serious?

The boy lay back down in his bed, knowing there was no point in him bothering Squalo; he would only get in the way, and he didn't want to be a burden. He pulled the covers back over his frail body, rolling onto his side as he curled up into a ball. He could hear the soft rumbling of thunder from the sky overhead, hints of lightning briefly lighting the still-dark room up as it filtered in through the sides of the blind.

Fran wondered what time it was, but he didn't see a clock anywhere; he could only imagine it was still early, especially since the sky still looked to be black from the crack of the blind he was looking through.

The teal-haired male tried to go back to sleep, but the thunder only seemed to be getting louder, and it was keeping him awake. Just as he decided he would get up out of the bed and find something to do, the wailing of sirens became audible, and he would swear just a minute later they had stopped right beneath his window.

With a sigh, Fran gave up entirely on sleep and left the room. He stopped by the adults' bedroom, finding Xanxus still sleeping soundly on the large bed, the blanket wrapped tightly around him as he snored away loudly.

Fran noticed the clock sitting on the bedside table that flashed four-fifty-eight, and he could only wonder how Xanxus would have reacted if he were woken by Belphegor, as well; the boy had the impression that the man would _not _be happy if his sleep was disturbed – even so, this assumption did nothing to deter him from climbing into unoccupied side of the bed and curling up in the warmth that had been created by Squalo.

Yawning quietly, Fran felt himself be soothed back into a sleepy state and, within minutes, was fast asleep once again.

_**~~XX~~**_

"Oi, trash."

Fran blinked as he felt something hit him. He rolled onto his back, turning to look at Xanxus, finding that he had been assaulted with a pillow. It hadn't hurt in the least, but it certainly was a unique way of waking someone up.

"Why the fuck are you in _my _bed?" Xanxus growled. "Where the fuck is the shark trash?"

Emerald eyes blinked again for a few more seconds before Fran replied, "He said he had to call an ambulance."

"What for?"

"I dunno. Belphegor kept coughing, and it sounded like he wasn't breathing properly."

"Now answer _this _question; why are you in my fucking bed?"

Fran shrugged as he sat up, rubbing at his eyes. He glanced over to the clock he had been looking at last night, finding that it was nearing eleven in the afternoon. "I guess it just seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Get out!" Xanxus growled as he pointed at the door. "My bed is _only _for me and my _partner!_"

"I'll still get breakfast, right?"

"What the hell kind of question is that?" Xanxus sneered. "One; I don't cook – I _won't _cook – and two; it's almost fucking lunchtime."

"Oh." Fran was as calm as ever, leaving Xanxus to wonder if the boy had even heard anything he had just said. "...Can _I _cook?"

"Do what you want, trash." Xanxus got out of the bed, stretching before he walked into the bathroom across from them. He locked the door behind him, preparing himself for a shower.

Fran wandered downstairs, wondering just how he was supposed to make himself food; he had helped Squalo with lunch yesterday, but he really hadn't paid enough attention to take notice of what the man had done. Should he maybe try and find something in the cupboards? Or should he just throw something together and hope it tastes good?

With a sigh, Fran said to himself, "Maybe if I'm lucky, it won't kill me..." With that said, he moved to the cupboard, searching for ingredients to make an experimental concoction.

What the boy hadn't been expecting was for someone he had never seen before walk into the kitchen and head straight for him.

_**~~XX~~**_

Xanxus sighed as he turned the shower off, stepping out and grabbing his towel. He dried his body, running the material through his sopping wet hair, before he tossed it away into the corner, leaving the bathroom to get dressed. He threw on black tracksuit pants and a dark blue button-up shirt, knowing his appearance wasn't important today.

"That little shit better not have started a fire in the kitchen..." Xanxus growled to himself at the thought, hurrying his pace up as he descended the stairs. "I'll throw him into the fucking flames if he has..."

However, to the dark-haired man's surprise – and immense relief – there was no fire, and Fran sat at the dining table with a McDonald's bag in front of him, eating out of the box of nuggets.

"Where'd you get that?" Xanxus moved to the table, grabbing the bag and opening it. There was a cheeseburger and a packet of chips waiting inside, presumably for him.

Fran lifted emerald eyes to red ones, his tiny hand never failing to shovel in nugget after nugget. Xanxus was convinced the boy would choke on it soon enough. He didn't speak; he just raised his unoccupied hand and pointed it towards the living room.

Xanxus went to investigate, knowing there was no way in hell that kid had gotten takeaway by himself. Moving through the kitchen, he entered the living room, clearing his throat as he found two familiar males sitting on the couch, talking quietly amongst themselves as they watched the TV. They had their own McDonald's meals in front of them, and neither seemed to notice Xanxus' approach.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

The two men looked up, the one with the sunglasses and green part of hair smiling calmly while the darker-haired, tan male looked Xanxus with eyes just as dark.

"We were just visiting, dear~" The green-haired male seemed happy enough, while his companion started shaking in excitement.

"B-boss~!" Both Xanxus and the other male frowned as the dark-haired one threw himself to the ground at Xanxus' feet. "Boss~! I have news for you about the company!"

Xanxus kicked the man at his feet, ignoring what he had said. "Lussuria."

"Yes~?" The smile on the smaller male's face never wavered.

"How many times have I told you not to bring this pathetic piece of trash into my home?"

"Many times, hon~ But he was moping around the company seeing as you haven't been there for the holidays~ When Squalo texted me saying he had to take Bel back to the hospital and said you have another little boy now, I thought I'd come and see him~ Levi wanted to come~"

Xanxus sneered as he stepped back from the one named Levi. "Whatever. Did you buy me food?"

"Of course~"

"You know I won't eat anything that slut hasn't personally made for me." Xanxus turned away, going to find something to do; he didn't want to be surrounded by employees when he was in a mood.

"I'm sure Franny would love to eat it~" Lussuria's smile widened. "He _did _seem quite hungry when we gave him his lunch~"

"Whatever. Find something to amuse yourselves with until the shark trash comes back home." With that said, Xanxus was gone.

"He can be such a grumpy pants~" Lussuria smiled at his own joke as his friend dragged himself back onto the couch, looking dejected.

They continued talking amongst themselves for a while before Fran wandered in, the last of the cheeseburger disappearing into his tiny mouth. He watched the two curiously for a few minutes before he approached them, his tiny finger reaching out to poke Levi's sideburns.

"You look like a catfish." The boy poked again, oblivious to the annoyance that was quickly rising in the taller male's expression.

Lussuria smiled as he reached out, pulling the youngest onto his lap. "Have you met Mukuro yet?"

Fran tilted his head. "Who's that?"

"Bel's friend," the flamboyant man explained. "He lives just next door with his aunt. You should go and introduce yourself; I can't imagine it'd be very fun with just Xanxus for company; he's quite antisocial and prefers to be by himself."

"Is Mukuro nice?" There was a hint of hesitance in the boy's voice, but it was clear he was considering Lussuria's words.

"He is, yes; _much _nicer than Bel is. I think you'd like him; he's a bit of an introvert, so he doesn't have many friends."

Fran _was _rather bored, and it was clear Xanxus liked being by himself; he wasn't sure if he should continue to bother the man or not, but he was only young, and he liked having attention on him – something he had never really gotten until Squalo had taken him in.

"Is he home at the moment?"

Lussuria nodded, putting Fran down on the ground. "Want to go see him?"

"Okay." Fran slipped his hand into Lussuria's, looking over at Levi. "Is Catfish joining us?"

The taller male growled before Lussuria spoke, as calm as ever. "No, dear~ He's just going to stay here~"

Fran nodded, letting the man lead him out of the house and to next door; he was greatly excited to meet new people and make more friends – he had never had any before.

_**~~XX~~**_

"Where's Fran?"

Lussuria looked up at Squalo's voice. He and Levi had been playing card games together, and they hadn't even noticed the front door closing. Squalo was carrying Belphegor in his arms, the blond wrapped tightly in a blanket as he rested his head against the man's chest, his arms tangled around Squalo's neck tightly. He seemed to be fast asleep, oblivious to his surroundings.

"He's with Mukuro," Lussuria explained. "I introduced them earlier and the two really hit it off. He's been over there all day."

"What's Xanxus been doing?" Squalo moved to sit down on the couch beside his friends, nursing Belphegor carefully. "He should have been watching Fran."

"Xanxus is Xanxus, honey; you really won't get him listening to such requests. How is Bel?"

"Little shit _should _be okay..." Squalo sighed as he threaded gloved fingers through blond locks. "He was struggling to breathe this morning, but he's pulled through it."

"Are he and Fran getting along?" Lussuria leaned down, hugging Bel with one arm tightly.

"They're sharing rooms until we can get a renovator out. Belphegor's just being his usual bratty self, but he should come around soon."

"Well, he's not used to other kids – especially having one suddenly come into his house like this while he's sick."

"He'll have to learn to deal with it. By the way, give me a hand after this round; I haven't had time for card games lately."

"Sure thing, hon~" Lussuria was patient as Levi took his time, deciding what card to put down next. "Will you be starting dinner soon? Xanxus was complaining that he was hungry, but he refused to eat anything we gave him."

"That's because he's a stubborn prick." Squalo rolled his eyes as he adjusted his hold on Belphegor, feeling the other shift in his sleep in a quest to get comfortable. "I'll have to grab Fran from next door soon anyway, so he can wait for dinner until I've done that."

"Xanxus won't be too happy about that," Lussuria pointed out.

"Don't give a fuck; I've been up since four-thirty with _this _shithead, stuck in a hospital... No. He can wait."

"Poor dear." Lussuria could sympathise with his friend.

Squalo just sighed; knowing it would be an early bedtime for him tonight.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry, guys; I was going through my notes for this story and I've just remembered there's one more thing plot-wise I need to cover before I can hit the time skip, so that'll happen NEXT chapter instead. It has a big impact on the time skip chapters, otherwise I would have just left it out after already having confirmed the time skip. **

Within the few weeks that Fran had been living with his new family, he had come to notice many similarities between Xanxus and Squalo's relationship, and the one his mother had had with more men than he could count. There was hitting and yelling in both of them, as well as put-downs and the more obscure things Fran really didn't understand; there were touches between the two men, but unlike how it had been with his mother, they left to their own bedroom before they would take their clothes off and do things that the boy truly didn't understand – he had seen men do similar things to his mother that looked painful, and sometimes even made her cry and scream for them to stop. That didn't seem to happen between his new family, so he was happy about that; it had always frightened him to watch what happened to his mother in those situations.

As well as in those few weeks, Squalo had enrolled Fran into a brand new school, one that the boy was happier at over his old one, and Belphegor had beaten his bout of sickness, going back to his own classes as well.

Fran had been staring out of the window of the car, watching the world go past him; Squalo had picked him up from school, and after a brief conversation about his day, they had both fallen into silence, the only sounds in the car the radio.

In fact, Fran had been so lost in his head, he only just now noticed they hadn't stopped and picked Belphegor up until they were halfway home.

"Why didn't we get Bel-senpai?" Fran blinked, addressing his roommate by the title he had been instructed to use by the blond himself.

"Mammon's picking him up," the long-haired man explained. He slowed the car down when someone pulled out in front of him, punching down on the horn as he swore angrily. He calmed himself before he turned his attention back to his charge. "The brat said they had been planning lunch together after he finished school."

Fran had heard a lot about this 'Mammon' person, but he had never actually met them before; all he had been told was that they were dating Belphegor, and had a most peculiar obsession with money. The boy couldn't help but wonder about their relationship, believing it would probably be as abusive as the ones he had witnessed his entire life.

"Bel-senpai doesn't really like me." Fran looked at his lap, chewing at his lip. "He's always trying to get me out of his room."

"He'll get over it," Squalo explained. "He doesn't like people in his room at the best of times. It's just a big change for him he's still getting used to. He didn't have the best childhood, so he's probably worried you'll take all the attention from him. He never really got attention before, you see?"

"Didn't he?" Fran had never considered that idea before; Belphegor was a spoiled brat who craved the littlest attention; he didn't like it if he didn't get his own way, or if someone else was getting more attention than he was.

The older male shook his head. "His older twin got all of it, so he never really knew what it was like to be loved and appreciated. He actually ran away from home when he was just a year older than you. I found him rummaging around in our bins, looking for food, and he seemed so attention-starved, he didn't even hesitate to come into our apartment when I told him I'd feed him. His parents didn't seem to care that he was missing because no one ever came looking for him."

Fran knew that would be a depressing thing to experience; he loved and missed his mother very much, but at least _he _had gotten attention from her, even if it hadn't been the most pleasant.

"Just give him time and he'll warm up to you." Squalo drove the car around the corner, turning into the residential areas. "Be _nice _to him, though."

"I'll be nice to him when he's nice to me."

"Stubborn little shit you are; just like Belphegor." Squalo rolled his eyes. "I must just attract stubborn asses..."

It became quiet once more, knowing there were just a few more minutes to go until they were home. Once the car had been stopped in the driveway, Fran took his seatbelt off and tugged his bag up from the floor, carrying it out of the car and into the house.

"Make sure you have a shower before dinner, brat," Squalo called out as he disappeared into the downstairs study, finishing off the work he had been doing before leaving to get his kid.

Upstairs, Fran had put his bag at the end of his bed. He pulled out what he needed and moved to the desk that rested in between the two beds, stacking his books neatly against the wall. He didn't want to do his homework just yet, but he was feeling rather bored at the same time.

Looking around the shared bedroom for something to do, emerald eyes locked onto the black laptop sitting on the end of Belphegor's bed. He knew he wasn't allowed to play with it, but he was curious; he had never seen a laptop before he came here, and he wanted to know what one did on them.

Opening the lid of the laptop, the screen remained black. Fran pressed the lone button in the corner, realising he had just turned it on as the lights lit up and a brief picture crossed the screen before a loading bar popped up.

Once Fran had been prompted for a password, he wondered what it could be. Then again... Knowing Bel...

Tiny fingers keyed in 'prince', and to his surprise, the blue screen disappeared, replaced instead by what looked like lots of little icons against a black background.

Fran was intelligent enough to work out that the little pad and buttons at the bottom of the laptop helped him move around and click on things, and so far he had brought up seven different games, their music all blending into one as he struggled to work out how to shut them off.

"The fuck are you doing on that?"

Fran looked up at Xanxus' voice, finding the man standing in the doorway. "I don't know. I think I broke it."

Red eyes rolled as Xanxus entered the room, sitting on the bed beside Fran. He snatched the laptop from the younger, putting it on his own lap as he closed off the applications. He then looked over at Fran, finding the younger laying next to him with emerald eyes glued to the screen.

"Let's do a bit of snooping." A wry smirk crossed the dark-haired man's face as he clicked open the browser explorer, clicking into the documents folder first. There were folders for the blond's school work scattered amongst the hard drive, but several documents with gibberish for titles were unsorted.

Opening the first one, Xanxus soon burst into laughter as he realised what he was reading was a raunchy fanfiction between two male characters of the blond's favourite TV series.

"Trash, what was the password to get into this?" Xanxus made a mental note to take the laptop later and put these files onto a USB so that he could read them with Squalo without Belphegor knowing.

"Prince." Fran blinked innocently up at the older male, trying to comprehend what half of these sentences meant; what was a dick, and why was it going into someone's asshole? Whatever an asshole was.

Xanxus chuckled to himself as he patted teal hair, somewhat liking this little shit; he had just brought him a new form of amusement, after all.

"What's next?" Fran questioned.

Xanxus was silent as he closed the first document, opening the next one. It was another fanfiction, this time with two female characters. The man liked this, enjoying the occasional dose of lesbian porn.

The third document was a journal of sorts, Fran noticed. The entries were dated, and while it seemed Belphegor added something new most days, it wasn't a daily thing for him. Xanxus scrolled down to the last entry, quite enjoying to find it was about him and Fran.

_I hate that stupid toad, _the entry read. Fran didn't seem to take offence to it, as if he were used to it, and Xanxus just smirked again. _Xanxus never paid me any attention anyway, but then the toad comes along and they're all over each other's dicks. It's not fair; I'm a prince and I deserve attention – not some dumb frog._

"Suck it up, princess." Xanxus scrolled through the entries, scanning them quickly. He was quite amused, finding that they ranged from his emotions to things he had done, and there was even an entry that had been typed less than a year ago, obviously influenced by the fact that the blond had lost his virginity that day. "Pussy prince."

Deciding he would move everything onto his USB and look at the rest later, the man instead clicked the video tab, not surprised in the least to find that all the hundreds of AVI files were various forms of porn. There was gay porn, lesbian porn, and the occasional hetero porn here and there, but it was hard to tell with Bel what gender he leaned towards the most.

"Stupid little bisexual trash; he's got a better fucking collection than _I _do." Xanxus muttered to himself, knowing better than to click any of the videos up while Fran was with him. "I'm just going to take his whole fucking hard drive."

"What's bisexual?" Fran questioned, as innocent as ever.

"It's when someone wants to fuck both guys and chicks," Xanxus explained, as rough as ever. "Go ask the shark trash that shit."

Fran nodded, taking the laptop when it was thrust towards him. Red eyes fixed on him, a warning gaze passing over him.

"Don't tell the trash we even _touched _it, or he's going to throw a fucking temper tantrum over it." Xanxus stood up, heading towards the doorway.

"Okay." Fran looked back down at the PC, realising something important. "How do I turn it off?"

Xanxus shrugged, not entirely caring for the wellbeing of the younger's laptop. "Hold the power button down or something. I don't give a shit."

Fran nodded, knowing it sounded logical; if the button had turned it on, surely it would turn it off, too?

Doing as told, the boy was relieved to find the laptop had turned off once more. Placing it back down where he found it, Fran moved to his own bed, deciding a nap would do him well today.

_**~~XX~~**_

Fran next awoke to Belphegor's voice, accompanied by that of a female one he hadn't heard before. Opening his eyes, he found his roommate was just walking into the room, an indigo-haired female behind him.

"Bel-senpai?" Fran sat up on the bed, rubbing at his eyes. "Who's that?"

"My girlfriend, dumb toad," Belphegor growled. "Get the hell out of my room."

"But, senpai, it's _my _room now, too," Fran argued. "You can't kick me out when I'm on _my _side."

"Leave him be, Bel; he's not hurting anyone." The female was quiet, soft-spoken. "Don't boss him around like that."

Fran instinctively flinched at her words, expecting Belphegor to hit her; in his experience, men didn't like it when told what to do.

However, to the boy's immense surprise, Belphegor just pouted and tugged at the female's black jacket. "Mammy...! You're meant to side with _me_...!"

"You need to be told how to treat him, Bel." The girl just shrugged, violet eyes jumping from the two males in the room. "You don't understand; Squalo and I both know that."

"He's an attention whore!" The blond whined, moving to stand in front of his girlfriend to block Fran from her view.

The female rolled her eyes. "No, Bel; I believe that's you."

"What's a whore?" Fran was genuinely confused by the fact that Belphegor hadn't hurt the other, and that she seemed to be able to say whatever she wanted to him without consequence – something he didn't understand at all.

"_You_." Belphegor spat, only to have his shoulder slapped by his girlfriend. "Mammy...!"

"No, he isn't, Bel. Leave him alone."

Fran moved further down the bed, his curiosity about the newcomer starting to overwhelm him; he wanted to know more on why she was the first person he had met who didn't seem to get hurt by their partner.

"What's your name?" Fran questioned, his emerald eyes watching the two curiously.

"Mammon. Yours is Fran, right?"

Fran nodded, feeling a little more comfortable now that they knew each other's names. "How old are you?"

"Twenty." The female – Mammon, Fran had learnt – seemed nice.

"Why are you telling Bel-senpai off?" Fran couldn't help but question this, his childish innocence knowing no boundaries. "Aren't you scared he'll hurt you?"

Mammon blinked. "Excuse me?"

"My mummy always got hurt by men," Fran explained. "And even here, Squalo and Xanxus fight a lot, and hit each other. Does Bel-senpai hurt you, too?"

Indigo-hair shook. "Of course not; he's my boyfriend and we love each other. Not everyone is in an abusive relationship, Fran."

"Why not?"

Mammon looked at Belphegor before she shrugged. "Because there are good people out there who don't get off on hurting their lovers or making them fear them? Bel, you'd better pay me good for this."

"Then how come I've never seen nice people together?" Fran argued, his young mind finding it hard to believe that not everyone was in bad relationships.

"I don't know..." Mammon sighed. "I'm sure you'll understand when you're older, but for the record, no; Bel does _not _hit me or anything like that."

Fran nodded, satisfied with this piece of information. He instead curled up on his bed, his emerald eyes locked on the older two, fascinated by how gentle they were with each other, and how much love and passion seemed to be in their kisses and touches.

Fran had seen a lot in his short life, things he didn't understand but still haunted him, and he wondered; would _he _ever find someone who would be as gentle with him as Mammon and Belphegor were? Or would he wind up in the same situation as his mother, as Squalo and Xanxus?

To be honest, the idea of being in a bad relationship seemed normal to him – almost inevitable, even if he didn't particularly favour it.


	6. Chapter 6

Within the ten years that had passed since Fran had been taken in by Squalo and Xanxus, he had been much happier with them than he knew he would have been with his mother – hell, now that he was older and more experienced, he could see for himself that his parent had never loved or wanted him in the first place. That knowledge hurt him, but he never let it bring him down; he had Squalo now, and the man showed him more than enough love. Xanxus had always been distant, but the scarred male seemed to tolerate him better than he did Belphegor.

Speaking of Xanxus...

"What am I supposed to eat in the meantime?!"

Fran looked up from his book, sighing as he heard the two adults shouting at each other from upstairs. He instead laid himself down on the living room couch, tugging his blanket tighter around him.

"I _bought _you plenty of steak to last!" Squalo shouted back before something broke from their bedroom. "I even _froze _shit for you to put in the fucking microwave!"

"You _know_ I won't eat anything unless _you _do it for me!"

"Well, if you didn't get yourself on the fucking no-fly list, you could have come with me, you dumb fuck!"

Fran had long-since grown used to their fighting, and it really didn't bother him all that much anymore; he simply grabbed the TV remote from beside him and turned the set on, finding something that looked remotely interesting and turned the volume up to drown out the fight. He turned back to his book once their words were harder to make out, deeply intrigued by what was happening so far in the story.

"Fucking asshole!"

The loud thumping of someone coming down the stairs drew Fran's attention, and he was just in time to see Squalo step into the room, the man looking as frustrated as ever as he massaged a red mark on his cheek, probably from where Xanxus had hit him.

"Long-haired grandpa, is that going to bruise?" Fran closed his book and tossed it onto the coffee table before pointing at the man's cheek.

Squalo muttered something about long hair and grandpas before he shrugged. "Don't give a shit if it does or not. Brat, help me put my shit in the fucking car so I can get the fuck out of here."

Fran nodded, knowing sometimes when Xanxus and Squalo had a fight, the younger man wanted to leave so that he could cool down without the dark-haired male there to continue to provoke him. "Where are you going this time?"

"Sweden. Got a big business proposal. Might be there a few months, so you'll have to keep _him _in line. Make sure he doesn't starve himself to death."

Fran followed his guardian up the stairs and into the adults' room, finding that Xanxus had vacated the premises. The boy grabbed one of the suitcases sitting on the end of the bed, taking it down while Squalo grabbed the rest of his bags.

They were silent as they made it out to the garage, and it wasn't until they had put everything in the car did they speak again.

"I'll ring and check up on you when I have time." Squalo patted soft teal locks as he grabbed the keys from his pocket. "Make sure you go to school and do your homework. If you need any help, give Belphegor a ring."

Fran nodded. "Bye, grandpa."

"Voi! You know I'm not a fucking grandpa! Stop calling me that, you little shithead!"

"Sorry, grandpa – Squalo." Fran watched the man get into the car, muttering away again under his breath. He stayed until the garage door had opened and the sleek black vehicle had been reversed out, waving slowly as Squalo went; he didn't mind staying home with just Xanxus because the man was usually passed out somewhere or in his bedroom and rarely bothered him.

The only problem was, now that Belphegor had finally moved out of the house and into one with Mammon, it was _too _quiet and it made him uneasy; he didn't like the quiet because of his bad past, having been left alone in the house for days on end while his mother went out getting drunk and fucking around.

Walking back into the house, Fran passed the living room and went into the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of soda. He took it upstairs, walking past the room he had once shared with Belphegor and to the one that had eventually been renovated just for him.

Fran's room was as large was Belphegor's. His bed was pressed against the far wall, the window across from it. A desk sat beneath the window, school books and stationary sorted neatly on the hardwood. A wardrobe was in between his bed and desk, and an entertainment system rested against the wall across the bed.

Sitting down on the soft mattress, Fran reached down to pull his laptop out from beneath the bed. He opened the lid and logged in, checking his Facebook and emails before putting it back down where he had found it. He instead took the remote out from under the pillow, turning it on before he got up to put a DVD in the player.

Laying back down on the bed once everything was in order, Fran rolled onto his side, watching the TV for only a few minutes before he let his eyes slip closed, knowing it was time for his daily nap.

_**~~XX~~**_

Xanxus was agitated. He wasn't used to being left home while Squalo went overseas on business, but ever since their last flight to Germany, the man had gotten himself barred from flying after exploding at both Squalo and the hostess when told there was no steak on board.

Xanxus didn't trust Squalo to go by himself, especially for several months; there was no telling who the younger would meet, and if the dark-haired man ever got wind that Squalo was cheating on him...

And then there was the fact that his lover wasn't there to cook for him now. Xanxus was _not _happy.

Kicking the desk he had been sitting at over, the man picked the swivel chair up and threw it out of the window, shouting incomprehensibly. Xanxus wasn't used to not having Squalo with him, much less for as long as this business meeting would take, and he _didn't _like it.

Storming out of the downstairs office, Xanxus moved into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of wine from the fridge. He snatched a wineglass from the kitchen bench, knowing the dishes had been done that morning, heading into the living room to sit in his own chair. He moodily stared at the TV for a few seconds before he threw his empty wineglass at the plasma screen, in a fouler mood than he had been in a while.

"Bester!" Xanxus, who had already been drinking heavily earlier in the day, stumbled through the house as he called out for his cat. "Bester!"

The cat wasn't downstairs, so the man went back up, searching the rooms to find nothing; even the now-unused bed in Belphegor's old room was empty, and that was where Bester tended to sleep now.

Hissing to himself in annoyance, Xanxus moved to Fran's bedroom. The door was wide open, the soft hum of the boy's TV audible through the hall. Poking his head in, Xanxus found the teenager curled up in the blankets, a peaceful expression on his face as he took his nap.

"Hey, trash." Xanxus hit the door, loud enough to startle Fran back into waking consciousness. He waited until blurred teal eyes were focused on him before he said, "Where the fuck's Bester?"

Fran yawned as he reached up, rubbing at his eyes. "I let him out before."

"You dumb fuck, you know he gets under the house. Go get him before he gets stuck again."

Fran blinked before he nodded, getting out of the bed; he could tell Xanxus was drunk, as compared to ten years ago the man had mellowed out somewhat – he really only became this aggressive if he had drank too much because something had angered him. In this case, it was Squalo's departure.

Xanxus followed the boy back to the ground floor and out of the house, stalking Fran as the boy called out for the cat. They made their way over to the crawl space beneath the house, knowing Bester had a habit of hiding beneath the building.

"Bester?" Fran got down on his hands and knees, poking his head in through the space. He looked around, it almost being too dark to see properly, but able to hear the cat meowing back at him. "Bester, come here."

Xanxus watched with angry eyes as Fran pushed himself in further beneath the house, red orbs focusing on the younger's rear. He couldn't help but notice the way it wriggled as Fran moved, and for the first time since they had had the kid, Xanxus felt the urge to reach out and spank it. He didn't know what had come over him; he was drunk, and he was angry at the idea of Squalo cheating on him and – oh, fuck it.

"Bes – Xanxus!" Fran instinctively jumped when he felt something swat at his backside. He slammed his back into the corner of the crawl space, hissing at the pain, before he pulled himself out, sitting on his legs to face the man. "Don't touch me like that, you dirty old man."

Xanxus snorted. "You let that prince trash fuck you a few years back; that was just full-blown paedophilia when _you _were thirteen and _he _was twenty-two. Didn't hear you protest against _him_."

"That was _one _time and we were _experimenting_," Fran pointed out.

"Did you like it?" Red eyes tinted with lust, no longer having Squalo around to take his drunken sexual urges out on; his lack of control had always slipped when he had been drinking, after all.

"I'm not answering that, horny pervert." Fran sighed before he pulled himself back into the crawl space, making sure no part of him was left in view of the other. He crawled around slowly until he had found the cat, avoiding the sharp claws that scratched at him. He winced as teeth dug into his hand, knowing the animal was as volatile as its owner, and dragged it back to the entrance.

Xanxus reached down and grabbed his cat, carrying it back into the house without another word. Fran just sighed as he sat down against the wall, unsure of what had happened earlier; Xanxus had never shown sexual interest in anyone but Squalo and porn before, so why had he suddenly made a move on the boy?

Was it because Squalo was going to be gone for so long? Did he just miss the long-haired man already? Or was it now that Squalo wasn't around to stop him, Xanxus felt he was entitled to the youngest?

"I should text senpai and ask if I can stay with him until Xanxus sobers up, even if I'll have to listen to him and Mammon going at it constantly..." Fran sighed, uncomfortable being around someone who had just touched him in an inappropriate manner without asking first. He sincerely hoped the wine had just gone to the man's head, because otherwise he wasn't sure he'd be leaving Belphegor's home until Squalo came back.


	7. Chapter 7

To Fran's disappointment, it seemed that neither Belphegor nor Mammon had their phones on them as they hadn't replied back to the text he had sent two hours ago asking if he could come over. It had been an inconvenience as Fran really didn't feel comfortable being here while Xanxus was drunk, but he hadn't been bothered again by the man thankfully.

Sitting on his bed with his laptop open, Fran held a milkshake with one hand, typing away at the keys with the other. He was sucking on his straw slowly, savouring the taste of the chocolate treat, his attention divided on his Facebook; he had a chat window open with Mukuro, trying to convince the older male he was fine now and didn't need to be picked up.

'_I think he passed out again somewhere,' _Fran explained. _'He's not bothering me now. Thank you anyway, Master.'_

'_Are you sure?' _The teenager could almost _read _the concern in the other's words. _'You shouldn't be alone with him if he could harass you like that. You'll be safer out of there – at least until he sobers up.'_

'_I'm fine. I still haven't heard from Mammon or Bel-senpai, but if he does anything again, I'll tell you.'_

'_Alright, Fran. Be sure to let someone know.' _

'_I will. I think Mammon and Bel-senpai might be fucking again, Master; they both usually always have their phones on, and they can fuck for _hours_.' _

'_I don't need to know this, little one; it was bad enough hanging around them both sucking face when we were teenagers and I really don't want to know about their private lives.' _

'_Sorry, Master.'_

'_It's okay.'_

Fran scrolled through his newsfeed as he waited for Mukuro to finish typing out his message. There wasn't much of interest to him, so he instead turned to look out of his window, watching the trees sway with the strong winds. He sucked again on his straw, his attention soon gathered by the soft ping his phone made.

Grabbing the phone from beside him, Fran opened the new message, finding it was from Mammon.

'_What's wrong?' _The woman had asked.

'_It's not important anymore. Don't worry.' _Tossing the phone back down onto the mattress, Fran turned to read the message Mukuro had sent to him. He replied back, the man just asking him how he was going in general.

The two conversed for a while, the occasional text from Mammon taking his attention away; he had always been close with Mukuro, the blue-haired male like a big brother to him. The sky outside became darker, the light in Fran's room fading until he eventually stood up to turn the light switch on. He walked over to his desk, looking out into the stormy weather, hearing the soft pattering of falling rain gradually getting louder.

Sliding the window closed, Fran went back to his laptop, striking up more conversation with Mukuro until he eventually looked up to find Xanxus standing in the doorway, red eyes fixed on him.

"Can I help you?" Fran blinked, seeing that Xanxus had obviously slept away his intoxicated state as the man could actually stand without swaying, and he had a more relaxed air around him.

"Light the fire and make me food," Xanxus demanded. "I want sirloin tonight."

Fran was used to being ordered around like this. Clicking away at the keyboard once more, he explained to Mukuro the situation before he pushed the laptop away and stood up, heading downstairs to do as told.

Xanxus sat in his favourite chair, his feet kicked up on the coffee table as he watched Fran throw some kindling and firelighters into the grate, taking notice of the thunder rumbling softly outside. He didn't miss the way the other tensed slightly at the sound, well aware of the fact that Fran didn't like storms.

"If you think you're climbing your ass into my bed, think again, trash," Xanxus growled. "That slut's not here to let you in, so stay in your own fucking bed."

Fran didn't reply to this; he just grabbed the fire iron and lighter, starting the flames. He _did _like Xanxus, but sometimes he wished the older male was just a bit nicer to him.

The boy had once been questioned by someone from his school how he could stand to live in this house. He had replied that he thought the environment was normal, and that he was used to it. He didn't understand why he had been given a look of pity before the other student left him alone; after all, why would he be pitied for something that was _normal_?

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Fran tossed a log onto the fire before standing up. "Sirloin?"

"Damn straight." Xanxus watched the other leave before slumping back in his chair, closing his eyes. He remembered what he had done earlier in the day, after he had gotten drunk; he knew he shouldn't have harassed Fran like that, but damn did that kid have a nice ass; it was rather feminine, a nice change to Squalo's own. He hadn't been able to help himself, despite having never looked at Fran in that way before – then again, he had never looked at the boy's _ass _before.

It was no secret Xanxus was getting bored of Squalo. Squalo knew it, Fran knew it, and even Mammon and Belphegor knew it, and the blond hadn't been living here for two years now. None of them knew what Squalo had done for the man to change his feelings, but nothing the long-haired male had done could truly have been the cause; Squalo loved Xanxus with all his heart, put up with abuse and mistreatment, and did _everything _for the man – so why was Xanxus starting to turn on the younger?

"Fucking trash..." Xanxus kicked at the coffee table, deciding it was _Fran's _fault he was confused – well... Fran _and _Squalo's fault.

_**~~XX~~**_

Having checked into his hotel, Squalo sighed as he threw his bag carelessly onto the ground. He threw himself onto the bed, rolling onto his side as he gripped the thick blanket. He frowned, his dark eyes looking longingly at the side Xanxus always slept on.

"Stupid asshole..." Reaching up, the long-haired man rubbed at his bruised cheek. "I hate that I love you so much..."

It had been a while since Squalo had felt truly happy with Xanxus, but he _did_ love the man more than anything; he just knew that Xanxus didn't happen to love him back. Sometimes he considered leaving his partner, but the thought of not having the older male by his side scared him – even here in Sweden, it was killing him to be apart from his lover like this.

Rolling onto his other side, Squalo tugged the blankets out from under him, preparing himself for sleep; he was tired from the flight, and the stress that had been undulating because of his relationship was too much for him.

"He'd better at least behave for Fran..." Squalo snorted to himself, knowing the teenager would probably give Xanxus a run for his money.


	8. Chapter 8

When Fran got off the bus the next day, school having finished an hour ago, he was quick to find Xanxus in the living room, a bottle of wine next to him as sat in his chair, glaring at the TV angrily.

"Did the TV do something to you?" Fran dropped his schoolbag by the living room entrance, stepping in further. "Or did I just walk in on your porn-viewing session?"

"Shut the fuck up," Xanxus growled. "Make me a steak."

Fran didn't reply verbally; he just let his eyes wander down to the man's groin, uncomfortable with the fact that there was a large bulge straining against the black fabric – though Fran had been joking about the porn, it made him wonder if he _had _walked in on such a thing.

_I hope he doesn't do anything like he did yesterday... _Fran shuddered as he left the room, hoping Xanxus would be sober enough to keep his hands to himself today. _But should I tell Squalo about that? It would really upset him, but..._

Fran grabbed a steak and was quick to throw it onto the stove, having watched Squalo make them every day for the past ten years. He let his mind wander as he cooked the meat, thinking of nothing in particular until he was ready to serve the food to the man waiting impatiently.

Xanxus was quick to snatch the meal away from the younger, scrutinising it intently before he cut off a piece and raised it hesitantly to his mouth with the fork. He sniffed it as if searching for poison before accepting it into his mouth, glaring at the boy all the while.

"The shark trash makes it better," Xanxus growled, but he still lowered his cutlery back to the meat anyway. "It's passable, but I'm not eating your shitty fucking cooking again once the slut comes back."

"..."

"Why are you still standing here?" Xanxus had always been agitated easily, and it only seemed easier to make him explode at you if you disturbed him while he ate. "Haven't you got some jerking off or something to do?"

Fran shrugged. He sighed as he left the room, knowing that Xanxus seemed more in control of himself than he had been yesterday. _At least it doesn't seem like he's going to molest me today... _

Snatching his bag up from the floor, Fran carried it back upstairs to toss in the corner of his own room. He pulled his books out and organised them neatly on his desk, deciding he'd get to work on them later.

Instead, throwing himself down on his bed, Fran looked up at the roof as he folded his arms behind his head. _I don't want to be the babysitter for someone who's old enough to look after himself... This sucks... _

Rolling onto his side, Fran started picking at his blankets. He loved Xanxus, but it was no secret he had never been completely comfortable around the man, or able to love him as much as he did Squalo – Xanxus was just far too distant from _everyone, _and he never really interacted with anyone outside of abusing Squalo and demanding steak.

Fran couldn't say he had a close relationship with Xanxus – hell, he barely had _any _relationship with the man – and they didn't often cross each other's paths, so the boy wasn't entirely sure of how to deal with him in the first place.

_Damnit, long-haired grandpa, why'd you have to leave me with him...? _Fran sighed. _I would have gone to Sweden with you if you'd offered... You took Bel-senpai to Japan heaps of times and left me with Luss. Favouritism. _

Pulling his phone from his pocket, Fran logged into his Facebook, trying to pass the time. He read a few statuses from some of his friends from school, but they didn't interest him – not like Belphegor's latest status did.

'_Did just get nudes from my second lover. Love you, Hayato~' _ There was someone tagged in the status, someone Fran knew as Hayato Gokudera, a man who lived in Japan who had known Belphegor since they were both teens. The teal-haired boy couldn't help but roll his eyes as he read Hayato's reply.

'_The fuck? I never gave you any nudes, and you're not my fucking lover, you creep. I wouldn't let you touch me with a ten-foot pole.' _

As expected from Belphegor, the blond had stirred the other male up further, claiming that they were really secret lovers and it was okay if Hayato didn't want anyone to know because he was still in the closet. Fran knew this wasn't true, but it was still amusing to see the blond fishing for attention even over Facebook. He apparently got it, as Lussuria was commenting with hearts, and two others – also Japanese – were commenting as well, trying to calm a now-raging Hayato down.

With one simple, 'Stop it, Bel' from Mammon, the status immediately went dead. Fran knew Mammon held a lot of authority over Belphegor, which was odd considering the older male never listened to anyone else.

"Stupid senpai..." Scrolling down further, the boy read a few memes, ignored those ridiculous 'one-like' photos, and commented on nothing. Facebook had never really held Fran's attention very well. "Stupid Facebook..."

Tossing his phone away, Fran got back off the bed, heading down into the living room to see what DVDs were down there; if there was anything interesting, he would take it up to his room to watch.

However, just as the boy stepped off the stairwell, he stopped as he heard a familiar grunt. He scrunched his nose up, knowing Xanxus only ever made that noise in the middle of sexual gratification; back before Fran had gotten his own room further down the hall and was still rooming with Belphegor, the two were sometimes kept up at night by the adults' sessions and had quickly learnt what noises were made when.

Going back upstairs, Fran forgot all about taking a DVD or two, deciding he'd make do with his own; he really didn't want to intrude on Xanxus, knowing nothing good would come out of it.

_Could he be more shameless if he tried...? _Fran wasn't used to Xanxus doing those kinds of things outside of his bedroom – it had been Belphegor who would pleasure himself wherever he saw fit, even if there were others home and he was at the kitchen table. _Now this is just uncomfortable..._

Choosing a DVD from his own collection, Fran slipped it into the DVD player and sat back on his bed, his back propped up by the headboard. He watched with vaguely interested eyes, too bored to truly be entertained.

In fact, Fran was so bored, he had been quick to doze off.

_**~~XX~~**_

When Fran's eyes opened next, it was to someone shaking him. His teal eyes blinked sleepily as he took in the familiar blond locks in front of him, wondering why Belphegor was here.

"Senpai...?"

"Where's Squ-Squ...?" Belphegor sounded choked, as if he was upset about something.

"Sweden..." Fran rubbed at his eyes, his mind becoming a tad clearer. "Why?"

The older male bit his lip before he looked away. "...I really need to talk to him..."

"Well, he's gone for a few months. Can it wait?"

"No..." Belphegor sighed, putting his chin in his hand. "...No, I _really _need to talk to him... It's about Mammy..."

Fran knew it was unusual for Belphegor to seemingly be distressed, especially if it had to do with his girlfriend. The only logical conclusion he could come up with was that they had broken up, but even then he still didn't understand why the other would be upset; people broke up all the time so what was the point of being upset over it?

"Did you guys break up?"

"Of course not, you stupid frog!" Belphegor snapped. He gulped heavily before he spoke again, looking away as he did. "...We're going... to have a baby..."

Belphegor blinked as the younger put his ear to his stomach, sneering down at Fran. "What are you doing?"

"I can't hear anything, senpai. Are you sure you're going to have a baby or have you just gotten fat from eating too much bad stuff?"

"Dumb frog!" The man smacked Fran's head away from him, growling before he calmed himself. "_I'm _not the one who's _pregnant_, you dumb shit!"

"So you're just getting fat, then." Fran nodded to himself, as if he had made a huge discovery. "That explains everything."

"I am _not _fat, either, you overweight toad!"

Lifting his school shirt, Fran poked at his skinny body. "I dunno, senpai; my doctor actually said I'm _under_weight. He might say differently about you, though."

"You're an ass!" The taller male snapped. "I wanted to talk to _Squ-Squ! _Not you!"

Fran knew now probably wasn't the best time for sarcastic remarks, so putting on his best behaviour, he said, "If you didn't want a baby, you should have used protection."

"I _did_, smartass! Mammy was on birth control, too, so don't blame us!"

Tilting his head, Fran asked, "Why don't you want it?"

Belphegor looked away at this question, a frown crossing his face. "...You wouldn't understand, Frog... Besides, I don't know if I want it or not... That's why I wanted to talk to Squ-Squ..."

"What if you guys keep it, and you still don't want it?" Fran didn't like the idea of Belphegor abandoning his own child; having been left behind by his own mother, he wanted the other male to be a responsible parent towards it. "You wouldn't leave Mammon or anything, would you?"

"I wouldn't leave her for _anything, _Frog – I just... I'm conflicted... I've never been in this situation before... I didn't think I would be..."

"Senpai should just think on it for a while. If senpai doesn't want it, you could terminate it, or put it up for adoption. I just don't want senpai to be a deadbeat dad."

Belphegor was silent, looking at his lap. It took a few minutes before he said, "Thanks, Frog..."

"While we're having a chick flick moment, can I tell you something, too, senpai?"

Belphegor shrugged. "I guess..."

"Xanxus slapped my ass yesterday."

"What? That's sexual harassment; tell Squ-Squ, Frog." For once, Belphegor seemed concerned about the younger's wellbeing.

"Sexual harassment is also claiming on a public forum that someone gave you nudes and is your secret lover when you're in fact just an attention-deprived, dirty pervert."

"Oi! I'm trying to have a serious moment here, you ungrateful little brat!"

"Do go on, senpai; I just thought you might need to know that while you're on the subject of lecturing others on their etiquette."

"Smartass... Anyway, Frog, you need to tell Squ-Squ so he can deal with it." Belphegor sat on the bed beside Fran, tucking his legs beneath him. "That's not like Xanxus at all."

"Well, he _was _drunk. Besides, I don't think I should tell Squalo." Fran shrugged. "It was just once, and Squalo's been really stressed lately; he doesn't need anything else on top of it."

"Frog... Don't be stupid – that's his _boyfriend_, so _of course _he'd want to know!"

"It would only hurt him, Bel-senpai. He doesn't need it right now."

Belphegor knew that was true; Squalo was a very stressed person, trying to handle running a company while putting up with an abusive partner. While it wasn't often, sometimes it all got on top of the man to the point he'd have an emotional breakdown, and seeing Squalo cry was one of the scariest things Belphegor had ever seen; he truly loved the man, and he never wanted to see him so upset.

"...If Xanxus takes it further, you'll tell him?" Belphegor compromised. "In fact, tell _me _first so I can come and get you."

"Oh, senpai _does _care." Again with the sardonic comments. "And here I thought you'd have kicked me out on my ass."

"Oi, as long as you keep your grubby hands off _my _Mammy, we won't have a problem." There was a warning tone in the older male's voice, one that screamed _just look at Mammy and I'll kill you_.

"You're the one who cheated on her with me, senpai." Fran rolled his eyes at his own comment. "I'm surprised she didn't break up with you."

"She knew I wanted to have sex with a male for years now, so she said I could just once to get it out of my system. I didn't 'cheat' on her, Frog."

"Whatever, senpai." Fran stretched before he got off the bed, standing to look at the blond. "I'm going to go make myself dinner. Go crawl back into whatever hole you came out of – most likely Mammon's, but I think you'd have come _in _that hole."

"Shut the fuck up..." Belphegor pouted before he, too, got up from the bed. "I'm going back home to eat with Mammon. Enjoy your dinner for one."

"Don't you mean you'll be eating _her_? Horny senpai."

Belphegor just glared before he left, leaving Fran to his own devices.


	9. Chapter 9

One month had passed since Squalo left for Sweden, and Xanxus was _pissed_. Squalo hadn't been taking any of his calls, but the older man knew his lover was still in contact with _Fran_ as he often heard the teen on the phone to Squalo.

Needless to say, Xanxus was jealous. Squalo was _his, _and yet the younger man was giving more attention to a fucking orphan rather than _him_. Xanxus _hated _it.

"Trash."

Fran looked up from his breakfast, his phone clutched in one hand as he texted away to someone. "What?"

Xanxus was standing in the doorway of the dining room, his red eyes fixed on the younger. There was loathing in them, but even as the man observed the way the younger looked innocently up at him, he couldn't help but think that the teen would probably make a good bed partner – and without Squalo here to satisfy his needs, Xanxus had been _very _frustrated lately.

"Why isn't that shitty shark talking to me anymore?" There was a snarl in the man's tone, one that told Fran if he didn't answer, he was going to get hurt.

"Long-haired grandpa said he needed a rest." Fran shrugged, slipping his phone into his pocket. "He wants to have a break, he said."

"Why the fuck would he want a rest?" Xanxus growled. "Fucking pussy. It's not _my _fault he works himself too hard."

There was a lot Fran could have replied to this with, but he didn't; he instead turned his attention back to his breakfast, knowing he had to get ready for school soon.

Red eyes observed the younger, and Xanxus couldn't help but feel his lust rise to the surface; he was used to getting sex whenever he wanted it, and never before had he been forced to take care of himself like _this_. There was going to be some serious fucking done when Squalo came home, that was for sure.

Xanxus had never really noticed much about Fran before. Sure, he somewhat liked the kid, his sarcastic remarks to others amusing for him, but just like everything else in his life, he had never really paid Fran all that much attention.

Fran was somewhat attractive to Xanxus – at least, he was good looking enough for the man to consider fucking – and with his feminine appearance, it certainly turned Xanxus on enough to want to take that little shit here and now – having been with Squalo for as long as he had, he really hadn't had many chances to sleep with a female.

Stepping closer to the younger, Xanxus reached out, taking a lock of teal hair between his fingers. It was soft and silky, much like Squalo's hair, and there was a scent of mint about it. The dark-haired male licked his lips as he used his other hand to take Fran's hip.

Fran froze at the contact, his eyes looking anywhere but at Xanxus. He shivered as the hand on his hip ghosted downwards, palming his crotch through his pants.

"Xanxus..." Fran wanted to tell the other to stop, but memories flashed before his eyes, remembering the way his mother would only be hurt worse if she tried to tell her 'boyfriend' to stop – just because he viewed these sorts of situations as normal didn't mean he wanted to be _beaten_.

Fran had the audacity to stand up for himself when it came to having his ass slapped, but having the other towering over him, groping him roughly, the boy didn't know what to do; he was scared of being treated the same way his mother had been, and it wasn't until he was in the same situation as her did he realise his wishes of finding someone to treat him like Belphegor did Mammon would probably _never _come true.

"You shouldn't be doing this..." Fran said quietly, his usually-emotionless eyes full of fear. "You're with Squalo..."

"That slutty shark is probably out getting his ass pounded as we speak," the older man snarled, his frustration snaking its way into his grip on Fran's crotch. The boy yelped as the other squeezed him too hard, sending a wave of pain through him. Leaning closer, Xanxus whispered, "Are you trying to tell me you're _denying _me?"

Fran nodded, wary of what it would bring him. "..."

"You shouldn't; I'm a _much _better fucker than that shitty prince you slept with – you're the only male he's ever been with so he probably had no idea of what he was doing. Me, on the other hand... I have _plenty _of experience."

Fran tried to push the other away, but it only resulted in a hand wrapping itself painfully around his wrists, holding him close. "I don't want this... You'll hurt Squalo if he finds out..."

"Who's going to tell him, scum? _You_? You wouldn't have the fucking _guts _to mention a _word _about it to him. Who gives a fuck about _him, _anyway? As I said, he's a slut who's probably been taking it rough every night since he left for Sweden."

Fran knew Squalo would _never_ do that to Xanxus – he knew just how much his guardian loved the man – but Xanxus wasn't someone who'd listen to reason; he often exploded over petty things and made mountains out of molehills.

Xanxus smirked as he brought his face closer to Fran's, biting at the younger's earlobe hard enough to draw blood. "Think about it, trash."

Fran pulled away once he had been released, staring up at the other with an incredulous look. He trembled for a few seconds before he threw himself off the chair and ran back to his bedroom, his half-eaten breakfast forgotten.

Upstairs, Fran locked his bedroom door before he threw himself onto his bed, shaking as he replayed what had just happened through his mind. He whimpered as the ghostly echoes of his past repeated over and over again, bringing his hands up to clasp over his ears.

Fran had never considered himself weak, but that was _before _he had practically been molested by someone he was supposed to trust to look after him. Pulling his knees to his chest, the boy just let his past play over on repeat, remembering things he wished he had never seen or heard.

_**~~XX~~**_

When Fran dragged himself out of his bedroom hours later, school all but forgotten, he found Lussuria sitting on the couch, Xanxus – as expected – in his chair. Lussuria beamed at the boy as he discarded some of the reports he had been discussing with Xanxus, patting the seat next to him.

"Hey, sweetie~" Lussuria smiled when the other sat by his side, reaching out to pat teal hair. "What are you up to?"

Fran shrugged. "Waiting for Master to come over and get me..."

"The fuck are you going?" Xanxus growled, similar to the way he spoke to Squalo if the younger was leaving the house without talking to him first.

"Out for lunch." Fran stared at the man with an emotionless expression, still hurting over what had happened earlier – he was just thankful the older male hadn't beaten him.

"Don't be out all fucking day; I want to eat, too, trash."

"Oh, honey, let him go out; he's a teenager." Lussuria nudged the teenager in a knowing manner. "I bet he's got a cute guy he wants to impress~"

"He should be at fucking school – not going out flirting." Xanxus rolled his eyes.

"You were bad for truancy, dear~ All you ever did was stay in the apartment and make Squalo do all your homework for you~"

"Hn."

Pulling his phone from his pocket, Fran looked at the message that had just popped up. He got off the couch, talking mostly to Lussuria as he said, "Master's out the front. I'll be back later."

Xanxus ignored the younger as Fran left, his attention turning back to the documents Lussuria had brought with him.

Leaving the house, Fran walked over to the black SUV waiting out the front for him. He climbed into the front seat, glancing over at the blue-haired man who was watching him with concerned eyes.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mukuro put the car into gear and pulled away from the curb, having been told about what had happened that morning – as soon as Fran had explained everything, he had said he was coming to get the younger and wouldn't take no for an answer.

Fran nodded. "I am, Master... Just... a bit upset, I guess..."

"How long until Squalo comes back?"

"Not sure. Probably a while longer." Fran stared out of the passenger window, watching the houses go by. "Senpai thinks I should tell him."

"So do I. He shouldn't be making those kinds of advances on you _at all_."

"Squalo doesn't have to know," Fran argued. "He's stressed enough as it is. It'll just hurt him."

"And what if Xanxus hurts _you_?"

Shaking his head, Fran replied adamantly. "It would have happened sooner or later – whether it was him or not, it would still have happened eventually."

"Only if you put yourself around those kinds of people..." Mukuro sighed as he slowed the car down, checking both ways before turning left. "You could have found someone nice and who would love you, little one – you would only have ended up in a bad relationship if you allowed yourself to be in one. Don't follow Squalo's example, and certainly not your mother's."

A longing tone crossed the smaller male's voice at this. "Bel-senpai is really lucky to have Mammon... They really love each other... That's one in a million."

Resisting the urge to palm at his face, Mukuro instead forced himself to bite his tongue, knowing it wasn't Fran's fault he didn't understand relationships properly.

"...Regardless, Belphegor _is _lucky to have found someone he loves so much so soon in his life. Why don't _you _go out looking for a partner, little one?"

"I don't want a relationship. I want sex, but not a relationship."

Mukuro didn't reply to this, knowing Fran just didn't want to be abused. Despite the boy's sharp tongue, it wasn't in his nature to harm others – if he ever _did _find himself in an abusive relationship, he would most likely be the victim.

Fran was just too gentle to _truly _hurt others.

_**~~XX~~**_

When the clock ticked over at three and Fran still hadn't come home yet, Xanxus was growing annoyed. Once Lussuria had left and the man had just his thoughts to entertain him, he had reflected on his earlier actions.

While it was in his nature to be a forceful person and not take no for an answer, he had seen how scared Fran had been, how much the younger had wanted him to go away. He didn't know why he hadn't been able to help himself, but now that he was alone, a feeling akin to what guilt must feel like washed over him.

_Was _Xanxus feeling guilty over hurting the other? But if he was, why would he feel that way? What did he have to feel guilty over? Nothing he had ever done to Squalo made him feel bad, so why was this brat different?

"Fucking _trash!_" Throwing his wineglass at the TV, Xanxus glared angrily at the offending electronic, as if everything bad in the world was its fault.

Whatever this feeling was, Xanxus _did not _like it.


	10. Chapter 10

To Fran's relief, Xanxus hadn't blatantly molested him again over the next few weeks. The man had, however, continued making verbal advances on the younger, and Fran was considering just giving in to make him stop.

Currently, Fran was in his room, sitting at the desk as he did homework. His window was open, the cool evening air blowing onto his face and ruffling his papers slightly. He could hear music from one the neighbouring houses, an annoying dose of heavy metal, but he was countering it with his own soft music.

The house itself was quiet, Xanxus doing who-knows-what somewhere downstairs, leaving Fran to his own thoughts. Soon enough, Fran could no longer focus on his notes about the autonomic nervous system, his mind drifting to Xanxus and his offers.

While it was true Fran had mostly declined them out of respect for Squalo, he was still a teenager who had hormones and no one to do anything with – was that any excuse for the fact that he was considering accepting Xanxus' offer and joining the older male in bed?

Fran had been thirteen when he had lost his virginity, and it had felt so good for him, it was something he continuously craved – he was sure that if it weren't for Squalo, he would long-since had let Xanxus take him; just like he had told Mukuro, he had no interest in relationships, just wanting sex.

But was sex worth hurting Squalo over? The man had taken him in when he wasn't obligated to so much as get him out of the snow. Squalo had fed him and given him a home, and treated him as his own child. Squalo loved and cared about him, and Fran could only imagine the pain the man would be put through if he realised his boyfriend and the boy he had taken in all those years ago had betrayed him in such a cruel way.

With a sigh, Fran dropped his pen to the desk as he stood up, taking his bottle of water with him. He walked out of the room and headed downstairs, deciding he needed an afterschool snack to clear his mind.

One plate of fruit later, Fran sat down on the living room couch, turning the TV on as he lifted a slice of apple up to his mouth. He nibbled at it slowly as he changed the channels, searching for something interesting to watch. He looked down as he felt something rub against his leg, only to quickly pull them up so that he was sitting on them as he realised Bester had made his approach, the aggressive cat most likely sizing his victim up before he dug those claws in.

"Go away..." Fran wasn't a fan of Bester. He didn't like Belphegor's pet mink, either, both animals always attacking him for no reason. Mammon's frog was okay, but he wasn't sure it could do anything anyway. "Go bother Xanxus or something..."

When the fluffy white cat jumped up onto the couch next to Fran, his ears lay back as he raised himself up in an intimidating posture, a nasty look crossing his eyes, the boy was quick to get off the furniture, taking his plate of food with him back up to his room. He could hear the creature hissing after him, knowing he had narrowly avoided being scratched up.

"Stupid cat..." Fran treaded the stairs slowly as he picked at his fruit, going back into his room. He sighed, sitting down on his bed, not knowing how to pass the time now. "Might as well see if anyone's up for a chat..."

To the boy's displeasure, it seemed that the only person who either had the time or could be bothered to reply was Mukuro – it wasn't that he didn't want to talk to the man because he loved Mukuro, but it might be nice if people would stop clicking on the chat-box, marking it as read, and never replying back. There were few people on Fran's Facebook who seemed to want to talk to him, so sometimes it got a little lonely.

'_Hello, little one.' _ At least Fran could always count on Mukuro to reply back to him, even if he weren't in the best of moods when doing so. _'What's happening?'_

'_I'm bored, Master. I'm having trouble doing homework because I can't focus on it.' _Fran scrolled through his newsfeed as he awaited the reply.

'_Want to come over? I can help you with it.'_ Seemingly as an after-thought, Mukuro added, _'I have someone over at the moment, but they're not important.'_

'_Harsh, Master. I'd hate to be your friend. Can you pick me up?' _

'_I'll be there in fifteen.' _

Fran closed off the chat-box before he clicked on Belphegor's name, finding the other to have made yet another bold statement regarding his Italian-Japanese friend.

'_Hayato promised the next time I'm in Japan, he's going to suck my dick for me. I love it when he touches me so skilfully~' _

The person in question must not have seen this yet as he hadn't commented on it, but Fran could imagine the way the other would react; Hayato had one hell of a short fuse, and Belphegor always managed to push the right buttons.

Waiting patiently for Mukuro to arrive, Fran got off the bed and packed his school books back into his bag. He aimlessly wandered the area of his bedroom before he sat back down on his bed, having never been good with waiting.

With the soft ping of his phone, Fran read the text that flashed on his screen. _'I'm outside.'_

Fran let out a breath of relief as he grabbed his schoolbag and walked out of the room. He went back downstairs, stopping as he heard Bester snarling at him from the couch again, only to pass the living room and leave the house completely.

Mukuro hadn't been joking when he said he had company; the front passenger seat of the SUV was occupied by a white-haired male with spiky hair and a purple mark beneath their eye. Their eyes were a soft violet colour, and he wore a smile just as playful as Mukuro's.

Climbing into the backseat, Fran uttered a soft hello. He tossed his bag next to him before grabbing the seatbelt, clipping it in before Mukuro started moving the car again.

"Little one, this is Byakuran." There was a hint of boredom in Mukuro's voice as he waved a dismissive hand towards his guest, almost as if he didn't care for the fact that he was there. "Byakuran, this is Fran."

Byakuran turned his head around to smile at Fran, his eyes closing in a gentle manner. "Hello~"

"Are you another country jumper?" Fran was well aware of the fact that Mukuro had a tendency to disappear overseas for months on end with little to no warning before coming back to Italy and acting as if he had never left; he wouldn't be surprised if the man had friends with the same habit.

"You could say that~ I simply wanted to visit Muku-chan~" Byakuran reached out, poking the blue-haired male's cheek. "Didn't I, Muku-chan~? Aren't you happy to see me~?"

"No."

Fran was under the impression these two men didn't get along very well; it wasn't like Mukuro to be so rude to someone, even if he didn't like the other.

"Aww, Muku-chan~ You wound me!"

"Good."

The boy was quiet as he listened to the two converse. He stared out of the window as they travelled, wondering where they were going to.

"Little one, does some lunch sound good to you?" Mukuro had turned his head to check on Fran, not surprised to find the younger quietly amusing himself. "We can go home later."

"Sure." Fran pulled his phone from his pocket, checking the time. It was a bit late in the afternoon, but he _was _hungry so he didn't mind stopping for food.

"Muku-chan, will you pay my way~?"

"No. Pay for your _own _food."

"Such a cruel heart my Muku-chan has~"

"Especially towards _you_."

Fran couldn't help but be amused by their subtle taunting, wondering just how much they disliked each other and – if the white-haired male really _did _dislike Mukuro – why Byakuran was here in the first place.

_**~~XX~~**_

"Thank you, Master." Fran accepted the bag of food he was handed, following the two adults over to a table in a corner of the takeaway restaurant. He was grateful Mukuro always paid for him because he rarely ever had money; he didn't work, and the money Squalo gave him was more often than not put away in a bank account he couldn't touch until he turned eighteen.

"You're welcome, little one." Mukuro patted teal hair as he carried his own food, Byakuran humming happily; he didn't mind paying for his own food, but it was always great fun riling the younger up by asking him to buy it for him.

Sitting down at the table, Mukuro was the first to speak. "What's news, little one?"

"Bel-senpai is going to have a baby." Fran glanced up from the hamburger he was unwrapping, his teal eyes looking blankly at the two men. "He says Mammon is the one who's pregnant, but I think it's him who's carrying it – either that, or he's getting obese."

"Kufufu~" Mukuro shook his head. "Belphegor is far from fat; it doesn't have a chance to stay on his body as it's all that fills his head. That's why he's always been so skinny. I'm sure Viper would be the one carrying it, Fran."

"Maybe." Fran took a bite out of his lunch before he spoke again. "Senpai says he doesn't know if he wants it or not."

"Understandable." The blue-haired male dipped his spoon into his chocolate sundae, his heterochromatic eyes glancing over at Byakuran.

Fran didn't know why he seemed to be the only one in the dark as to why Belphegor wouldn't want his kid, but he didn't question it; if the blond had wanted him to know, he'd have told him earlier.

Instead, the youngest put his hamburger back down in its wrappings as he stood up. "I need the bathroom, Master. I'll be back."

Mukuro smiled at the boy as he nodded, savouring the taste of the ice cream in contentment. He turned to look at Byakuran when the other laughed, his eyes narrowing in suspicion; he didn't trust many people – in fact, he trusted so few, he could count them on one hand – but Byakuran definitely made his list of people he would _never _trust.

"He's cute~" Byakuran smiled. He reached out, snatching Mukuro's sundae from the other's grasp in order to lick at it, his violet eyes just _daring _the taller male to try and take it back from him. "Is he single?"

"Stay away from him," Mukuro hissed, completely ignoring his stolen sundae; Fran was far more important than sweets. "He's been through enough without _you _getting your filthy hands on him."

"Ah, but Muku-chan, you do realise that if I so much as ask him to be mine and he accepts, there's really nothing you can do about it except sit back and watch – you have no authority over him, and you can't force him to stay away from me. You can't do anything but _hope _he's smart enough to keep away."

"You're a real nasty piece of work, aren't you?" Mukuro growled, his hatred towards the other growing by the minute; the white-haired man was just lucky he was too polite to speak what was _really _on his mind.

"Hey, you're the one who can't tell me to leave your house, no matter how much you want to." Byakuran sent a knowing look to Mukuro. "You even asked if I wanted to come for a drive."

"Like I'd ever leave you in my home unattended..."

"Say what you will, Muku-chan; your kind nature will be your downfall. Remember that."

Mukuro muttered something incomprehensible before he calmed himself, seeing Fran coming back towards them. He greeted the youngest as the boy sat back down, hoping with all his being Byakuran would leave him alone. Alas, his hopes were unfulfilled.

"Are you single, Fran?" Violet eyes observed the youngest with a curious gaze, Byakuran's playful smile widening.

Fran blinked, confused by the question. He glanced at Mukuro before he looked back to the newcomer, nodding. "Yes."

"Oh? A cute thing like you?" There was a sugary tone in the other's voice now that Mukuro_ knew _meant Byakuran was up to no good. "Aren't you lonely?"

Fran was silent for a few seconds, thinking about the question. He soon nodded, shrugging. "A little, I guess."

"That's no good." Byakuran reached out, ghosting his fingertips against the boy's cheek. "Why aren't you with anyone?"

Fran shrugged again. "Relationships don't mean much to me."

"Had your heart broken?"

"I've never _been _with someone before." The teal-haired male picked apart his chicken nuggets, not paying all that much attention to the other; conversations about relationships were boring to him. "I've seen what happens in relationships."

Byakuran's intelligent mind was quick to link this piece of information to Fran being an abused child, and while Mukuro stared in horror at the youngest for giving out such personal information he _knew _his enemy would use to his advantage, the white-haired man just put on his gentlest smile as he said, "Ah, but _I _wouldn't treat someone I was dating badly; I'd love them and show them care."

Fran scoffed. "No, you wouldn't."

"You don't believe me?" Mukuro could _see _the calculating look in those violet eyes, and it made him want to hit the other man. "Well, then, I guess there's just one thing I can do to prove it."

Fran watched with wary eyes as the older male came closer to him. He instinctively flinched when a warm palm pressed against his cheek, turning his head away as lips pressed against his.

"I can show you if you just trust me." Byakuran knew the younger was considering the offer, so when he received a hesitant nod in reply, he grinned, smiling as playfully as ever – he knew nothing Mukuro could say would make the youngest change his mind; Fran was curious, probably wanting nothing more than to learn that relationships weren't all bad.

But what Fran would learn would soon be the opposite, and the teal-haired boy would only have his fears about relationships reassured.

Fran didn't understand why Mukuro was shaking his head, but he didn't question it; he didn't think about the fact that Mukuro probably knew something he didn't.

_**~~XX~~**_

"You shouldn't have said yes, little one." Night had fallen, and Byakuran had left Mukuro's home a short while ago. After helping Fran with his homework, the blue-haired male had started driving him home, knowing Xanxus would probably throw a fit for how long he had been gone for.

"Why?" Fran turned to look at the man with expressionless eyes.

"Because... you'll only be a toy to him..." Mukuro's voice was soft at these words, knowing Fran probably wouldn't want to hear them. "He's not... the kind of person you really want to associate yourself with, Fran..."

"A toy? What do you mean?"

"He'll play with you for a while, and then once he's bored with you, he'll... It won't be pretty, Fran. Tell him you changed your mind – just _don't _go near him."

Fran sighed. "I already said yes... I can't get out of it if I said yes."

"Yes, you can. It doesn't matter how you do it; just make sure you're away from him."

Shaking his head, the boy replied adamantly, "I agreed, so I can't go back on it. It'll... make bad things happen..."

"Bad things will _still _happen if you don't stop it."

"...Master..." A hint of weakness crossed Fran's voice at this. "...Master, stop... You're hurting my head... I just... You're confusing me..."

Fran had a vulnerable mindset if you brought up the right subject, and this was a prime example; tears started leaking down the boy's cheeks as he raised his hands up to his ears, blocking out all sound. Mukuro didn't blame him; he knew Fran was trying his hardest to let someone in and give them the chance to prove him wrong about relationships – all Fran wanted was for someone to love him, after all.

Flicking his indicator on, Mukuro pulled the car over and put it in neutral before he exited the car, moving to Fran's side. He was tender as he opened the passenger side door, pulling the younger into his arms and rocking him side-to-side.

"It's okay, little one," Mukuro whispered, threading long fingers through soft locks of hair. "It's okay. It's not your fault. Shh..."

Fran gripped tightly the black coat his friend wore, burying his face in against the strong chest. He cried a bit harder, not used to letting his emotions show; he very rarely felt comfortable letting people know how he felt, so if he showed his tears around you, it meant he loved and trusted you a great deal.

Mukuro, likewise, loved the boy, viewing him as the little brother he had to look out for.

_**~~XX~~**_

"About time you came back." Xanxus glared at the teenager from his spot on the couch, Bester asleep on his lap. "Where the fuck were you?"

"With Master..." Fran mumbled, turning his head to the side; he didn't want_ Xanxus _of all people to see that he had been crying, not knowing how the older male would take it; Xanxus had never tolerated _Squalo's _breakdowns before, instead giving the long-haired male more reason to cry, so why would _Fran _be any different?

Xanxus, however, was a lot sharper than he'd let on; he'd seen the tear marks the second Fran had stepped into his view, and he couldn't help but feel angered about this; who the _fuck _had dared make _his _trash cry?

Pushing Bester to the side, Xanxus stood up and stomped to the small teenager. He reached out and gripped pale cheeks in between his fingers roughly, growling as he observed the boy. "Who the fuck made you cry?"

Fran shook his head, his eyes looking at the floorboards. "It's nothing..."

"It's _not _nothing, you piece of shit!" Xanxus' red eyes were full of hatred, and it made Fran wonder why; what was the older male _possibly _thinking in this moment when he barely even _liked _him? "Who the fuck did it?!"

"..." Fran shrugged. "...Master told me to end my relationship before it even started..."

"The fuck? _What _relationship? With _whom?_"

"...I met someone Master knows today... They asked me out, and I accepted it..." Fran spoke quietly, his voice wavering in stress.

"_Who?!_" Xanxus shouted, ready to slap it out of Fran.

"...Their name is Byakur – Xanxus!" Fran choked as he was suddenly shaken, the stronger male snarling at the name. "S-stop it!"

"Don't _ever_ go near that trash again!" Xanxus roared, unable to stop himself from backhanding the other across the face. He didn't know why he was so concerned about this, but knowing Fran was around someone like _Byakuran _made him sick. "_Ever!_"

Fran sobbed again as he shook his head, unable to understand why everyone was confusing him; this was his first relationship, and it hadn't even lasted a few hours before people started telling him to leave. It was _his _relationship, and if it was going to be a bad one, well... that was _his _problem and not _theirs_, so why were they acting like this towards him?

"Why...?" Fran whispered, a heartbroken tone in his voice.

Xanxus knew he was jealous of Fran being in a relationship – the knowledge sparked the same emotions he felt whenever Squalo was with his klutz of a friend – but that wasn't the issue here; the issue was that Fran was only going to get hurt if this went any further, and it would _not _end pretty.

"Ask the prince trash that shit if you want a reason," Xanxus growled before he shoved Fran away. "Don't _ever _let yourself get involved with scum like that, or I'll kill you myself."

With that said, Xanxus had stalked back to the couch, pulling Bester onto his lap. Fran just hiccupped as he watched the other for a few minutes, knowing he was too exhausted to deal with this night any longer.

Dragging himself out of the living room and up the stairs, Fran lumbered into his room and tossed himself onto his bed. He didn't care to change out of his clothes; he just closed his eyes and fell asleep, the last thought on his mind, _Why do relationships have to cause so much hurt...? _


	11. Chapter 11

"Bel, get off me, please."

"No~! The prince is comfortable here~"

"..."

Fran watched the two adults with curious eyes, finding them curled up on the couch together – well, Mammon had been resting peacefully by her lonesome before Belphegor started lying next to her, cuddling in so close, the woman was pushed uncomfortably against the back of the couch.

"Bel-senpai is too fat; he'll crush Mammon and the baby." Fran himself was sitting on the chair opposite them, his phone in his hands as he texted away.

Belphegor sent the younger a glare, opening his mouth to bite back, but he stopped as Mammon put a soft hand on his shoulder. He instead stuck his tongue out in a childish manner before he turned his head back and buried his face against a head of indigo hair.

"Who are you texting, Fran?" The older adult knew the boy didn't have many friends, and the ones he did have didn't seem to want to interact with him outside of school. It was sad really, but Belphegor and herself had been very much the same – in fact, Belphegor's only friend had been Mukuro, and still _was _Mukuro.

"My boyfriend." Fran glanced down as his phone vibrated with an incoming message, reading it before he opened it.

Belphegor turned to look incredulously at the younger at these words. "No way! Froggy has a _boyfriend?!_"

"Yes, senpai, I do." Fran absentmindedly tapped away at his phone, his attention divided.

"Who?"

"I'll tell you later."

Belphegor pouted and whined, trying to make the boy tell him, but he was silenced once again by Mammon telling him to be quieter because she had a headache.

Instead, the blond sat up, a serious look on his face as he reached out, feeling his girlfriend's face for a temperature. "The prince will get Mammy some painkillers~"

Fran and Mammon watched as the man rushed out of the room as if he were on a most important mission. The boy really had to give it to Belphegor; he was being so supportive of Mammon, he would do anything for her.

"Do you know what you guys are doing with the baby yet?" Fran tilted his head to the side as he waited for Mammon to reply.

The woman rubbed at her stomach, clearing her thoughts as she explained. "I want to keep it. Bel is still uncertain, but we're not going to terminate it; I made that clear after a few days of thinking about it."

"What if Bel-senpai decides he doesn't want it, and you do?"

"We're taking it seriously, Fran. He knows no decisions will be made unless we can agree on something. I want it, but I certainly don't like the idea of it being so expensive. Apart from that, I'm willing to compromise with Bel."

"Can I touch your stomach?" Fran, who had never been around pregnancy before, was curious; he had heard a lot about babies and how you could feel them kick, and he wanted to experience it for himself.

"It's twelve weeks along, Fran; you won't feel it kick so soon." Mammon was gentle as she explained it to the boy, and she honestly felt a tad bad at the dejected look that crossed his face. With a sigh, she added, "Once it does start kicking, you can feel it then."

Fran's face visibly lightened up as he nodded. "Okay. Is it a girl or a boy?"

"We don't know yet, Fran."

"What do you want it to be?"

Mammon fell silent at this question, a faraway look crossing her violet eyes. It took a few seconds for her to reply, her tone soft as she glanced at the doorway to the kitchen, making sure Belphegor wasn't in earshot.

"I don't have a preference, but Bel... wouldn't want a boy." Mammon remembered the way her boyfriend had pleaded with her over the past few weeks, begging her to have a girl if they did go through with the pregnancy. There was fear and sadness in the man's voice she had never heard before, and though she hadn't understood at first, it soon became clear when Belphegor had started whimpering about twins, begging her not to have them.

"Why not?"

"Because he is male himself, and he had a very unpleasant life before Squalo took him in. I'm sure he's just scared he won't be a good parent, or is worried he'll turn out like his own. He's been through a lot, and this really caught him off-guard."

Come to think of it, Fran really didn't know all that much about Belphegor's childhood; he knew the little things Squalo had told him, but the blond himself never said _anything _about it, and if it seemed to so much as come up around him, he threw tantrums.

"What happened to him?" Fran tilted his head further, wondering if the woman would tell him. To his disappointment, she just shook her head.

"Bel will tell you himself once he's ready. It plays a lot on his mind, so give him time. Once he's truly comfortable with you, he'll tell you."

Fran nodded, knowing it probably wasn't any of his business in the first place. He instead looked back at the doorway, finding Belphegor coming back with a glass of water and a box of paracetamol in his hands.

"Here you go, Mammy~" The blond sat on the edge of the couch, putting his things down on the floor as he helped Mammon into a sitting position. He eagerly picked the glass and tablets back up before thrusting them towards her, grinning as if he believed himself to have done a great job.

"Bel, I really don't need you to baby me like this." Mammon took the water as she spoke in a gentle tone, knowing that Belphegor only meant well. "I'm capable of looking after myself."

"The prince just doesn't want his Mammy to get hurt~" Belphegor explained, watching as his girlfriend swallowed two tablets. "He's just trying to be helpful~"

"I know, Bel. Thank you." Mammon reached out, patting the blond's head gently. She earned a delighted grin from the younger, and soft giggles filled the air as Belphegor pressed into the hand.

"Mammy should stay on the couch and rest~ The prince can handle everything here~" Leaning down, the young man kissed his lover tenderly before he pulled away, a soft red colour on his cheeks contrasting with his pale face.

"Okay, Bel."

"Froggy, come with me~" Belphegor got back off the couch, heading into the kitchen once again. Fran followed him, knowing the taller male was probably going to try and make him do all the chores.

"Senpai..." Fran sighed as he stopped by the entrance way, knowing what the smirk on the other's face as Belphegor stopped by the sink full of dirty dishes meant. "Senpai, I'm not doing the dishes for you. You do them."

"If Froggy tells me who his boyfriend is, the prince will let Froggy do whatever he pleases~"

Fran rolled his eyes, knowing it was a fair deal – anything to get him out of doing Belphegor's work. "It's Master's friend. His name is Byakuran."

Belphegor tensed at the name before he shook his head, his soft grin disappearing. "Do _not _date him, Froggy. Get the hell out of that relationship _now_."

"Why is everyone telling me to leave?" Fran sighed, growing frustrated with this conversation already; why was everyone telling him what to do with _his _life?

"Because he's a nut job, Frog!" Belphegor stomped his foot in anger. "When Mammy and I were in Japan with the pineapple, he kept trying to flirt with Mammy and convince her to leave me for him, and attacked us both when I stepped in! And even with the pineapple! The _pineapple _dated him for a few days before he found out Byakuran was already _in _a relationship, and when he brought this up, he got the shit beaten out of him!"

Fran frowned, now understanding what everyone was talking about – but what difference would it make whether he left or not? He'd only wind up in the same situation with someone _else, _so... was there any point in leaving when it would just happen again at a later date?

Shrugging, the boy replied with, "I'll probably get used to it; Squalo and my mother got used to it."

"Goddamnit, frog!" Belphegor shouted. "What part of _leave him _don't you understand?!"

Fran opened his mouth to reply, only to shut it as his phone went off with another message. He read it, finding that Byakuran had invited him over for the day. His nimble fingers quickly replied with a yes, desperate to see if Byakuran was different than what everyone said about him – more than anything, he just wanted his views on relationships proved wrong, and to know that someone loved him.

"This conversation is done, senpai." Fran slipped his phone back into his pocket, intending on walking to the address that had just been sent to him. "Whatever happens to me doesn't concern you. It's not your problem, so leave me alone. Focus on the baby you probably will never want."

Belphegor's mouth dropped open at these words, a look of hurt clear on his face. He opened and closed his mouth for a few seconds before he made an agitated noise and stepped forward, shoving Fran to the ground.

"Don't act like you know _anything_, you dumb frog..." the blond hissed. "It's not like we were _trying _to have one, or we were being careless... At least we're trying to do the responsible thing _now _and work out what to do next..."

Fran stared at the man's face, silent as he watched the way Belphegor grit his teeth angrily. The older male was quick to the leave the room, giving the boy time to get back to his feet and say goodbye to Mammon. The woman must have heard their fight as she was quieter than usual when farewelling the younger, instantly getting off the couch to check on her boyfriend.

Trying to shrug off the rain that was pummelling him, Fran made his way through the wet weather, wanting to go see Byakuran and find out for himself if what everyone was saying was true or not.

_**~~XX~~**_

"You got here rather quickly, considering you walked." Byakuran was sitting on the couch of the hotel room, his violet eyes observing the younger with a hungry look.

Fran was quietly closing the door behind him, shrugging. "It wasn't that far."

The older male smiled playfully as he patted the seat next to him. He reached out to the coffee table, grabbing a marshmallow from the bag resting before him. Fran sat somewhat close to him, but it was clear he was still hesitant about allowing himself to get _too _close to the man, probably not sure if he could trust the other just yet or not.

"Everyone says bad things about you." Emerald eyes blinked emotionlessly at the white-haired male, missing the dark look that crossed the violet orbs.

"Oh? Like what?" Byakuran was forcing himself to remain calm, knowing if he could catch Fran off-guard, it would make the game so much more interesting.

"That you're abusive, and you cheated on someone else with Master. You hurt him, and tried to take Mammon from Bel-senpai."

Putting on his gentlest smile, Byakuran tilted his head to the side. "Do I look like I'm capable of that kind of thing, Fran?"

Fran was still for a few seconds before he shook his head, not wanting to believe he could be with someone capable of treating him worse than Xanxus did Squalo. "No."

Reaching out to cup Fran's cheek, Byakuran moved his face closer to the boy's. He could see the trust in the emerald orbs, and he couldn't help but smirk as the younger got ready to kiss him. He waited until their lips were just about to touch, seeing the way the smaller male's eyes had closed in anticipation, and then he slapped Fran as hard as he could.

Fran gasped as he pulled away, the sound having scared him more than the actual hit, memories playing before his eyes. He whimpered as he looked at Byakuran, not prepared for the second slap that send his head to the side. He cried out as he was thrown from the couch, hitting the coffee table on his way down. He didn't understand what he had done wrong in order to be shoved down on the ground and have his pants pulled from his hips, nor did he know what had provoked the other into repeatedly punching him in the face as he aligned his hips with the younger's.

It had been a long time since Fran had been this scared, and when harsh pain overwhelmed him, worse than when he had had his first time with Belphegor, he could only imagine that this was what happened when you trusted others; they hurt you anyway.

_**~~XX~~**_

When Xanxus heard the front door opening at an ungodly hour of the morning, he threw his wineglass at the wall in anger. He stood up from his chair, his red eyes fixed on the younger, his body shaking with unbridled rage.

"Where the fuck were you, trash?!" Xanxus roared. "What the fuck did you think you were doing?! Walking out of the prince trash's house without telling either of them where you were going! Mammon rings me saying something had happened, and you can't even answer your fucking phone when I tried to ring you and see where you were!"

Fran stared down at the ground, not wanting Xanxus to see the result of his stupidity. He flinched when the stronger male raised his hand to him, but even though it was nothing new, never before had he whimpered and thrown himself backwards. This was what told Xanxus that something had gone wrong sometime throughout the day.

Reaching out to grip teal locks, Xanxus forced the other's head up to face him. His eyes widened at the blood and bruising that covered the younger's face, putting together the puzzle; Fran must not have listened at all and gone back to Byakuran.

"Is this Byakuran's doing?" Xanxus snarled, his grip on Fran's hair tightening even more. He shouted when the boy nodded, tugging Fran out of the living room and into the hallway. He stopped when the other cried out in pain, and when the teenager collapsed to the ground, the dark-haired male could only imagine what had happened. "The fuck did he do, scum...?"

Fran shook his head, curling up into a ball. He whimpered, but he didn't fight Xanxus off when the man leant down and pulled his shirt up, finding the bruises and marks from the previous beatings covering the skinny body.

Without a word, Xanxus pulled Fran into his arms and carried him over to the door that led into the garage. He grabbed his keys from the hook beside the door, stepping in and walking towards the sleek black Mercedes parked neatly on the far side of the garage.

Fran choked on his sobs as Xanxus unlocked the car and put him in the front passenger's seat, wondering what was going on; it was very rare for Xanxus to drive himself somewhere, much less take _Fran _with him.

"Where is that piece of shit?" Xanxus growled after seating himself in the driver's seat. He started the car as he pressed the button for the garage door, waiting for it to open before he reversed the car out.

"H-hotel..." Fran whispered, ducking his head; it was bad enough letting Xanxus see what had been done to him – no one else had to see, either.

"I'm going to tear his fucking balls off," Xanxus snarled as he put the car into first gear and floored it as far as he could before changing into second. The vehicle revved loudly as it was pushed to the extreme, but Xanxus didn't care; all that mattered was getting Byakuran and snapping the man's neck.

_**~~XX~~**_

After giving Xanxus the room number, he had waited in the car as Xanxus stormed out of it and into the large building. The car park was dark, the only source of light coming from the street lamps, and though it made Fran nervous, he most certainly didn't want to go back to that room where he had been put through hell.

When Xanxus came back, it was silent between them for a few minutes as the man just sat in the seat, not even bothering to put the keys into the ignition. Fran stared out of the passenger window as Xanxus glared straight ahead.

"He wasn't there..." Xanxus muttered, his fingers curling around the steering wheel tightly. "Stupid trash had checked out an hour ago for a flight..."

Fran closed his eyes as tears rolled down his cheeks, knowing that without Xanxus able to deal with this, there would be no closure for him now – maybe not ever. It wasn't fair his trust had been abused like that when all he wanted was to be reassured that it was okay, and now... Now he was left with even deeper scars than he had started out with.

Xanxus turned to look at the younger, hating to see Fran crying. Tears weren't something he normally tolerated – hell, if he caught Squalo crying, he'd slap the shit out of the man until he came back to his senses – but when it was _Fran_, it seemed so different, so... _innocent_.

Unable to help himself, Xanxus leant across the car and wrapped an arm around shaking shoulders. He winced as the other pulled himself onto his lap, not used to such contact but not wanting to push the distressed teenager away.

"X-xanxus..." Fran sobbed as he buried his face in against the older male's chest, his fingers curling in to the black jacket Xanxus wore over his shoulders. He pressed into the ghostly touch he felt on his arm, just wanting what he could get in this moment. "X-xanxus, I... I love you..."

Xanxus blinked at those words, having rarely been told them before. He had heard them from his foster father when he was younger, the man having treated him as his own child, and as a teenager Squalo had said it to him all the time, but now... His foster father had long-since passed, and Squalo rarely ever showed his affections anymore; there was no cuddling between them, or gentle touches here and there – it was all just fighting and abuse, and Xanxus hadn't realised how bad it was until he reflected on their childhood when Squalo was always in his arms for one reason or another.

Sighing, Xanxus threaded his fingers through teal locks as he let Fran cry, having never considered the fact that he may be hurting his family more than he had realised.

Waiting until Fran had cried himself to sleep, Xanxus put him back in the passenger seat and strapped him in before he started the car and made his way home.


	12. Chapter 12

When Xanxus' eyes opened the first morning, the first thing he took notice of was the tiny body curled in against him. It had been a long time since he had woken up with someone by his side; all these years of his failing relationship with Squalo, the silver-haired male had long-since stopped sleeping against him, instead putting as much distance between them as he could while he slept on his side, his back to the older man.

Having Fran bring back feelings he had all but forgotten about... Reaching out, Xanxus pulled the boy closer to him, his red eyes watching as emerald ones opened slowly.

It was silent between the two as they just lay there, watching each other. Fran eventually moved himself closer, reaching out to grip the white nightshirt the man was wearing. He let his head fall onto the pillow, a frown crossing his face.

Xanxus reached out, ghosting his fingertips against a bruised cheek. Fran flinched before he stayed still, trying to see out of eyes almost forced closed by swelling. The dark-haired male could see the way the younger's lips had been split and blood had poured unrelentingly from his nose, and the bruises that covered the soft skin topped everything off.

Travelling his hand down the younger's body, Xanxus wondered what other injuries were hidden behind the boy's clothing. He slowly lifted the hem of Fran's shirt, pulling it from the scrawny body, his eyes darkening as he noticed all the bruising and cuts that covered the frail torso; it was clear that Fran had been beaten badly, and possibly for a while.

Letting his fingers slip onto the hem of Fran's black pants, Xanxus asked, "Anything down here?"

Fran looked away as he bit his lip. He nodded, tears welling up in his eyes. "He... raped me..."

Xanxus let his eyes close as he struggled to contain his anger; no matter the way he had treated his own boyfriend, he would have _never _raped Squalo or even _tried _to force him into sex. He knew very well the meaning of no, but he was stubborn, and he wouldn't take no for an answer if he were hungry or wanted something else that wouldn't hurt anyone – rape was something even _he _hated, and he'd be _damned _if he ever did that to someone.

Pressing his face forward, Xanxus captured small lips with his own. He felt Fran hesitate for a few seconds before he kissed back, only just now feeling the comfort and safety he had been searching for all this time. A few tears slid down his cheeks as he reached up, wrapping his arms around the man's neck, tilting his head back as they broke apart for air.

"Xanxus..." Fran moaned softly as he felt hot lips kiss the side of his mouth, his cheek, trailing down his neck, and eventually his throat. He stared up at the roof with blank, yet tear-filled eyes, not knowing what was going to happen, but knowing he didn't mind this tender form of affection. He might not want to have sex just yet, but he would see where this led; he had never before known Xanxus to be so gentle, and it truly surprised him to be on the receiving end of this. "Xanxus..."

Fran moaned again as he felt a wet tongue slide down his chest, letting his eyes close as a large mouth closed around one of his nipples. He arched his chest into the touch, soft pants escaping his lips. He whimpered when he felt a hand slip in beneath his pants, grasping his arousal, turning his head to the side. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead as he groaned, bucking his hips up slightly.

"Xanxus..."

The man moved his face back up to Fran's, taking injured lips in his own once more. Their mouths parted, their tongues dancing together as the older male pleasured the boy. Xanxus was rubbing his clothed hips against Fran's thigh slowly, for once not too bothered by his own climax; it had been far too long since he had had this kind of intimacy with Squalo, and he had honestly missed it.

Fran let a soft cry escape his lips as he felt himself hitting his orgasm, spilling himself over Xanxus' hand. He opened his eyes once more, looking into red orbs, a silent thank you being shared between them.

Fran curled in to the man's chest, sighing as he closed his eyes. He felt a strong arm wrap around him, holding him close, and never before had he felt as loved as he did right now; back when he had had his first time with Belphegor, the blond had been gentle with him and tried his hardest to give him pleasure, too, but there had been no cuddling or anything like this after they had finished; Belphegor had just patted him on the head and then left.

Xanxus himself had his eyes closed, preparing himself for more sleep. He was content with what had happened between them, and he felt as if his stress levels had just decreased by a great deal.

Now all that was left was to –

"Xanxus!"

Both Fran and Xanxus sat up as they heard Squalo's shout, looking to the door. The man was standing there with a face red from anger, tears slipping down his cheeks as he trembled violently.

Xanxus just sneered, getting out of the bed to approach the smaller man. He reached out, grabbing a lock of silver hair as he tugged on it violently. "How long were you standing there, trash?"

"Long enough to have seen you put your grubby fucking hands all over him..." Squalo snarled back. "Why the fuck would you do that shit to him, Xanxus...? Why... would you fucking _beat _him?"

"I didn't do that, you dumb fuck."

Squalo slapped his lover, tears falling harder down his cheeks at this. "I _know _you fucking did, because you do it to _me_, you asshole!"

Grabbing the skinny wrists with one hand, Xanxus leant in close, his hot breath billowing against Squalo's face. He used his heavy body to pin Squalo to the wall, towering over the younger. "Don't accuse me of shit I didn't do, you shitty shark."

"Get off me, Xanxus... Get the fuck off me!"

Fran's eyes widened as he watched Xanxus punch his lover in the face, a loud shout of pain escaping the long-haired man's lips. He whimpered and teared up as he witnessed the way the dark-haired man threw Squalo from the room, a loud thump sounding as the man hit the ground.

"Stop kicking me, Xanxus!" Squalo shouted, causing Fran to cover his ears with his hands. "You fucking asshole!"

Fran choked on his sobs as he heard Xanxus shout back, knowing that while the two had been violent towards each other before, it had never been like this; for the first time since he was little, Fran was scared one of them was going to be killed by the other.

The sounds emitted by their fight filled the air for what felt like forever before Xanxus shouted something incomprehensible, the thud of footsteps stomping away. Fran sobbed to himself as he curled up in a ball, too afraid to leave in fear of what he would find.

The boy didn't know how long it had taken, but Squalo eventually limped back into the room, one hand holding his bloodied face as he approached the bed. He glared down at Fran with one eye, the other bruised and swollen over already, snarling, "Get fucking dressed; we're leaving."

Fran nodded as he wiped at his tears, instantly leaving the room to head to his own. He chucked on a simple t-shirt and baggy black hoody, changing into loose jeans before he grabbed his phone and wallet from the desk, heading back to Squalo's side.

Squalo limped slowly, struggling to get down the stairs even with Fran's help, and once they were eventually seated in the man's car, Fran was almost frightened to let the other drive; he had no idea where they were going, the silver-haired male could see out of just one eye that was full of tears, and to top it off, he obviously had a leg injury and his left arm didn't seem to be doing well, either.

"Do you want me to drive, Squalo...?" Fran whispered, not wanting to do such a thing but afraid of what could happen if Squalo drove them. He wasn't surprised when the other nodded, so helping the older male out of the driver's seat and into the passenger's, he went about putting up his learner plates before adjusting his seat and the steering wheel to better suit his stature. "Where are we going?"

"Lussuria's..." Squalo sighed, resting his head on the window. He reached out, pressing the button for the garage door as Fran started the car. "Clutch and roll, Fran..."

Fran nodded, pushing down on the clutch as he released the handbrake and put the car into reverse. He hadn't been able to master reversing just yet, and he knew Squalo wasn't in the mood to deal with any damage that may arise by the boy accidentally shooting the car out of the garage due to his lack of driving skill.

Once Fran had gotten the car onto the road, he put it into first gear before working the clutch, almost stalling the car by bringing his foot up too quick.

"Get your revs up, hold the clutch when the car starts to move, and then put your foot down more on the accelerator, Fran... Bring the clutch up slowly." Squalo sighed, knowing now wasn't the time to snap at Fran, no matter _how _angry he was with the younger; he had no idea what had happened while he had been gone, but to find them in bed together...

Shaking his head, Squalo tried to banish the idea that he had been betrayed by _both _males; he had suspected Xanxus would eventually cheat on him, but Fran...? He would never have believed _Fran _would hurt him in such a way...

Fighting back the tears that threatened to fall, Squalo bit down on his split lip, drawing even more blood. Fran glanced at him as he moved into third gear, not sure what to think; he knew he had hurt Squalo more than anything, but he also knew the man didn't understand the situation – he had made the wrong assumptions and blown things out of proportion, accusing Xanxus of having been the one to beat Fran...

Squalo had no idea of the truth, and Fran just didn't know how to tell him – not when they were both in so much pain as it was.

_**~~XX~~**_

"Dears! What happened?!" Lussuria hadn't expected to find two beaten-up males on his doorstep when he had answered the door, and he instinctively ushered Squalo and Fran into his home, taking them to the living room to make them comfortable.

"Not important..." Squalo turned his head away from long fingers that tried to touch his face, feeling uncomfortable with the older male's actions. "Can we stay here for a while? I'm done with Xanxus."

Fran's eyes widened at these words, having expected a lot but not to hear that Squalo was breaking up with his lover. "Squalo... Please, no..."

A single dark orb fixed on Fran, a snarl escaping the man's lips. "You, _shut the fuck up. _This is partly _your _fault, so don't fucking _dare _tell me what to do. You're fucking lucky I even _brought _you with me! I was tempted to fucking leave you there with him, but I'm not that fucking cruel, you little shit. Keep your fucking mouth _shut_."

Fran's eyes widened in surprise, having never been spoken to in such a manner by Squalo before. He bit his lip as he ducked his head, tensing his body as he submitted. He didn't understand how so much had happened in just a few days, or _why _it had happened, but he would give _anything _to do this over and have it turn out differently.

Lussuria frowned, having no idea what could have happened but not knowing what to do; Squalo was _really _worked up, and this wasn't good at all. "Stay here while I go get my first aid kit."

Squalo waited for the older male to leave before he turned back to Fran, anger prominent in his voice. "Why the _fuck _would you do that to me, you bastard? I took you in, gave you a bed, food, and anything else you could have possibly wanted. I showed you more love than your own _mother _gave you, and instead you fucked me over and slept with my fucking _boyfriend_ while I was gone. You fucking little... I hate you so fucking much, Fran; Xanxus and I could have worked it out had he slept with anyone else, but how the _fuck _was I meant to go back there and deal with you _both _knowing that you stabbed me in the fucking back?"

"Squalo..." Fran closed his eyes, hurt greatly by these words; he knew he had messed up, but... "Squalo, I'm... I'm sorry..."

"Sorry doesn't cut it, you tramp!" Squalo roared, slapping Fran across the face. He sniffed as tears rolled down his cheeks again, reaching up to hastily wipe at them. "...I... fucking_ loved _him, Fran... I _loved him_! And you... He gave _you _more tenderness than he's given me in over _ten fucking years_! Just... Just go, Fran... Once Luss fixes you up, just fucking leave. I don't care where you go – hell, go back to _him_ if you want; I don't fucking care anymore! Just... leave me alone..."

Fran looked to the ground, not knowing how to reply; what was he supposed to say in this situation? Tell him he was wrong about everything and it hadn't happened the way he had perceived it to have? That would only make matters worse, and clearly Squalo was too heartbroken and betrayed to _want _to listen.

As much as Fran didn't want to leave the man, he knew he had no choice; his presence would only hurt the man further. He hoped that maybe once Squalo had had a few weeks to calm down, he might listen to reason, but now... Now was _not _a good time to try and explain himself – Squalo wouldn't want to hear how Xanxus treated_ Fran _better than he did Squalo, after all.

Standing up, not even bothering to wait for Lussuria to come back, Fran left the house. He let his own tears fall now that he was away from Squalo, having no idea where he was supposed to go now. Should he go back to Xanxus? The man was probably in a foul mood; that would be suicide. Belphegor and Mammon's? No; they were dealing with a pregnancy, and Fran had already left them on a bad note. Mukuro's? Well... They _were _very close, but... Fran didn't want him to know he had completely disregarded the man's concern and gotten himself into a very bad situation.

_At least wait for Xanxus to calm down..._ Fran thought to himself as he walked, no idea where he was going. _Or, if that takes too long, for my bruises to fade, and then got to Master's... For now, I'll find somewhere to stay..._


	13. Chapter 13

It had been a long time since Xanxus had been alone. As a child, he had lived on the streets with his mentally ill mother until she had passed away and he had eventually found himself being fostered by a man named Timoteo. He had been spoiled, given anything he wanted, and he was so pampered, he could even constantly skip school without repercussion. There had been maids, and various other servants to do whatever Xanxus asked of them, and the man had never known what it was like to have to do things for himself.

Squalo had come from a rich family as well, and though he had been somewhat of a stuck-up brat, had quickly drawn Xanxus' attention when the older male was asked by teachers to tutor him in his classes. They hadn't gotten along at first, but Squalo had quickly become the first person Xanxus let into his cold heart.

Timoteo, when told that the two had gotten together, had bought them an apartment so that they could have time together without worrying about anyone bothering them. Just a few months of living together, that annoying blond had become part of the family, and the kid had just been too easy to talk into doing Xanxus' chores that Squalo had always ended up doing anyway.

Throughout the years, nothing had changed; Xanxus was still pampered and knew nothing but having others there to do everything for him.

Now, everyone was gone and Xanxus had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do. He could admit he missed Squalo, and he was sorry he hadn't realised sooner what he was putting the younger through; not until he had seen what _Fran _had gone through by someone _else's _hands did he realise he was no better than Byakuran; he had beaten Squalo, put him down on a daily basis, and made the long-haired male feel so shit, Squalo refused to even answer his calls the second he was out of the country.

Sure, Xanxus hated having to do things for himself, and he would have loved for one of them to come back at least once a day to cook his steaks, but... he knew his loneliness ran deeper than not having a slave running after him; he missed having someone to talk to, and... just having someone in his _house_. His home was too quiet now, too _empty, _and it didn't feel right not having Squalo's loud voice shouting from somewhere in the house, or Fran's TV echoing through the top floor, or even the unmistakable sounds of pleasure as Belphegor either jerked himself off or had Mammon over for the day.

With only Bester for company, Xanxus had had plenty of time to think about the things he had done to his family, to acknowledge the fact that he _hadn't _been a good partner _at all _and he _deserved _this horrid loneliness; he had been so lucky to have someone like Squalo, he had taken the younger for granted – now that he was gone, Xanxus could see that Squalo had been one in a million; there weren't many people who would stay for almost nineteen years throughout the abuse and _still _love their partner.

Xanxus should have taken better care of his family, seen that he was _so fucking lucky _to have who he did, and _show_ that he cared about them. Instead, all he had done was treat them as replaceable slaves, and now... he was paying the price.

With a sigh, Xanxus swirled his wineglass in the air as he glared at the fireplace, as if the object in question was the cause of his misery. Bester was curled up on his lap, purring away as he slept.

"Fucking trash...!" Xanxus snarled as he threw the glass at the wall, not caring as it shattered and spilt all over the hardwood floor. He just grit his teeth together, hating the way he was feeling.

_I swear to – who the fuck's at the door? _

Pushing Bester from his lap, Xanxus stood up and staggered to the front door. He ripped it open, ready to give a mouthful to whoever had disturbed his brooding, only to stop and stare as he found Fran standing on the doorstep, soaked from the rain that was falling heavily. The boy was still bruised, but with the time that had passed since the assault, it wasn't as bad as it had been.

Staring up at the man with emotionless eyes, Fran asked, "Can I come in...?"

Xanxus stepped away from the door as he gave the younger room to enter. He looked around outside, confused as to why Fran was here by himself.

"Where's Squalo?"

Fran was greatly surprised to hear the older male refer to Squalo by his name – he didn't think Xanxus had ever done it before. In reply, he shrugged before peeling his saturated hoody from his body, dropping it by the front door carelessly.

"Squalo kicked me out the day he came back..." With a sigh, Fran moved into the living room to stand before the fire, trying to get some warmth back into his body. "I haven't... I've been staying with Master..."

Xanxus followed the boy back into the living room, sitting in his chair. He regarded the younger with red eyes, feeling a tad calmer now that he had someone here with him again. "I take it Squalo's gone for good."

Fran shrugged again. "I guess so. He's changed his phone number and everything. ...Can I stay here...? Master's going back to Japan..."

"Why didn't you go with him?"

Looking away, Fran muttered, "Master has good friends over there, and... I'd probably only get in the way... He should be able to enjoy his holiday without me following him..."

"Fair enough." Feeling Bester jump back onto his lap, Xanxus stroked the animal's fur. "Stay if you want; I don't give a shit..."

Fran nodded, wrapping his arms around him. He looked at the ground as he chewed on his lip, this new change in his life as hard for him as it was for Squalo and Xanxus; he missed his home and his family, the safety and comfort he felt from knowing they were there for him. Now... Everyone seemed to be gone. Squalo was gone, Belphegor probably wouldn't want to talk to him anymore, and Xanxus seemed as distant as ever.

Letting a lone tear roll down his cheek, Fran closed his eyes, hurting greatly over everything that had happened.

Xanxus reached out, gesturing for the younger to approach him. He waited until Fran was within grabbing distance before he took the boy's wrist in his hand, tugging the small body into his lap. Bester hissed and jumped off, leaving Fran to cuddle in against the strong chest as strong arms wrapped around him.

"Stay," Xanxus demanded before lowering his face, pressing his lips against Fran's. The younger kissed back almost immediately, wet tears slipping from emerald orbs and splashing against Xanxus' face.

Fran wrapped his arms around the older male's neck, pressing in tight against the other. He pulled his face from Xanxus', burying it instead in the man's chest, letting out his distress in the form of tears. He felt himself being pulled closer, a chin resting on top of his head, and for the first time in his life, he found himself wondering if this was how it felt to love someone so dearly.

Xanxus, likewise, didn't want to let the younger go; it had been so long since he had been with someone like this, and he couldn't believe he had let his bad-tempered personality get in between he and Squalo's relationship. Whatever had gone wrong between them may never be fixed, but from the looks of things, he had Fran now. He would probably never see Squalo again, but with the way Fran soon curled up on his lap and went to sleep, he knew he had the younger's love.

_**~~Several weeks later~~**_

"Can't you make your mind up already?" Squalo sighed as he regarded the blond in front of him, the younger holding a lopsided grin on his face as he flipped lazily through a porn magazine. "Jesus, it's _your _fucking kid. You need to be more responsible for it."

Belphegor's grin vanished before he opened his mouth, silent for a few seconds before he said in a choked voice, "I'm trying, Squ-Squ... I really am..."

The other blond seated on the couch next to Squalo spoke quietly, gathering the long-haired male's attention. "I'm sure he's stressed enough as it is without being berated, Squalo."

"Shut up, Bucking Horse; he's _my _kid." Squalo regarded the other with dark eyes before he flinched, pulling away when a hand approached his face. He swallowed heavily, avoiding all eye contact as fingers gently caressed his cheek, squeezing his orbs shut tight as lips came closer to his.

Belphegor looked away, feeling sick as he witnessed the way Squalo displayed obvious anxiety around his new lover; while he knew the silver-haired male had also shown it around Xanxus at times, it wasn't that apparent until Squalo was faced with the love and tenderness he hadn't gotten in so many years. The blond wasn't sure how deep the issues ran, but he _did _know that the older man often struggled to let himself be treated with kindness.

Turning back to his magazine, Belphegor crossed his legs in a futile attempt to hide his excitement; Mammon had been cranky lately, and hadn't been in the mood to satisfy her lover's unquenchable needs. He wasn't used to not getting any sex, so it was strange for him to suddenly go from several sex-induced orgasms a day to having to pleasure himself.

"After all these years, you still call me Bucking Horse." The other blond chuckled as he pulled his hands back to himself, regarding Squalo with kind eyes. "We've known each other for how long now? Twenty years or so? You could at least call me Dino once in a while."

Squalo grumbled something before he shrugged. "I'll consider it..."

Belphegor glanced at the two older males behind his long bangs, listening to their conversation. It was nice to see Squalo interacting so calmly with someone for a change, and for him to get the love and affection he deserved – it was just a shame the man was almost too afraid to let himself get so close to someone else, let alone allow them to touch him so intimately.

"Where's Mammon anyway?"

Belphegor blew a tuft of hair out of his eyes before he jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. "She said was going to watch TV in our room for a while. She was napping when I went to check on her. The prince made her a chocolate milkshake and everything..."

The taller blond – Dino, Belphegor had learnt many years ago – laughed before he turned to Squalo, a soft expression on his face. "He really loves Mammon, doesn't he?"

Squalo nodded in reply while Belphegor giggled. "Yup~ The prince is _in love _with Mammy~ He figured that out when he was little~"

"When we first introduced them, Bel claimed he was going to marry her when he got older." Squalo rolled his eyes. "All this time and still no marriage proposal."

"I'm getting there." Belphegor yawned as he tossed his magazine onto the coffee table. "That stuff takes effort, and Mammy might not appreciate it because of how expensive it'll be."

"Fuck that; just get on your knees already."

"Oh, the prince does that every day~"

Squalo rolled his eyes again while Dino blushed and glanced away. Belphegor giggled as he opened his mouth to speak again, only to stop as he heard his girlfriend's soft voice calling for him. He turned out, his smile becoming gentler than ever as he reached out, touching Mammon's growing stomach with tenderness.

"What's wrong, Mammy? Can I do anything for you?"

Mammon nodded as she reached out, taking Belphegor's larger hand in her own. She guided it to a specific spot on her stomach, holding it there as she smiled down at the younger adult.

Belphegor tilted his head, a confused frown crossing his face. He was about to question what Mammon was up to before he felt it, a slight jolt against his hand. He gasped, his obscured eyes widening. He froze for a few seconds before he moved closer to the woman, pushing ever so slightly against her stomach as he chewed at his lip.

"Is it... kicking...?" Belphegor almost couldn't believe it when his lover nodded, the biggest, most sincerest smile crossing his face as he moved to nuzzle his cheek against the bulge. He felt tears well up in his eyes as small fingers caressed his head, playing with his blond strands before moving to stroke pale cheeks. "It's... It's really our baby, isn't it...?"

"It is, Bel."

Belphegor sniffed as he reached up, wiping hastily at his eyes. He tilted his head up more, looking at Mammon's face as he whispered, "I... I want to keep it, Mammy... I just... I'm scared..."

Mammon shushed the younger gently as she moved to sit on the couch, letting Belphegor lay across her lap. "Why are you scared?"

"...I don't... want it to... to have the life I did..." The younger blond wiped again at his eyes, sniffing as he tried to control his emotions. "I just... I don't want it to..."

"It won't, Bel," Mammon promised. "You'd be a great parent; I sincerely doubt you'd ever treat it as bad as your parents treated you."

"What if I mess up...?" Belphegor's body trembled as his tears came harder, finally confessing his fears to his loved one. "...What if... What if I'm not any good...?"

"Voi... Bel, you shithead..." Squalo stood up, moving to the younger's sides. He reached out, wrapping an arm around the younger male's shoulders as he explained things the way they were. "Bel, we all know you had a shitty childhood, but we also know you'd _never _treat your own kid with the same hatred yours did. You know how to love; you just like being a royal fucking pain in the ass. You were good with Fran once you got used to him, and you were like fucking brothers, so why would your own kid be any different?"

"I'm a bad person..." Belphegor pulled his knees up to his chest, shaking his head. "I'm... I don't like people, and it's hard for me to trust... I used to fight all the time at school..."

"Like hell you're a bad fucking person, Belphegor; you're one of the most considerate people I know – even if only once you get to know someone. Mammon wouldn't be here with you know if she thought you were a bad person, and she certainly wouldn't be having your kid – and there's no fucking way I'd have put up with you for so long if you didn't have your good traits. You're one annoying brat, but I love you anyway, Bel."

Wiping at his eyes, Belphegor lifted his head from Mammon's lap. He wrapped an arm around his legs as he sat in a curled position, speaking in a soft whisper. "...Do you... really think I can be a good daddy...?"

The older three adults in the room all nodded, relieved when Belphegor started smiling again amidst his tears.

"...Well... Then I want to be a daddy, Mammy..." Belphegor sent his lover a hopeful smile, his eyes shining with excitement as the woman nodded. He reached out, pulling Squalo into a hug as he buried his face in against the man's chest. "I love you, too, Squ-Squ..."

Squalo returned the embrace for a short while before he pulled away, returning to his own lover. He glanced at his watch before he reached down, taking the older male's hand in order to help Dino from the couch.

"We're going home, brat," the long-haired male called over his shoulder. "We'll come back out later."

"Bye, Squ-Squ~" Belphegor was smiling lopsidedly as he returned his face to the woman's stomach, cooing at it childishly in his newfound excitement.

Outside, the two men were getting into Squalo's car. They closed the doors and strapped themselves in before the younger male started the car, a comfortable silence between them for a few minutes until it was broken by Dino.

"Do you miss Xanxus?" the blond questioned, a soft look in his hazel eyes. "Or Fran?"

Squalo shrugged. "Of course I miss them, but that fucking asshole had it coming... And that little backstabbing shit... Don't get me started on _him_."

"Actually..." the taller male rubbed the back of his neck as he said, "I heard from Tsuna who heard from Mukuro that Fran's been really depressed ever since... then... Tsuna said Mukuro said Byakuran had been the cause of it, and that he had roped Fran in."

Squalo's knuckles turned white as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He growled something inaudible as he waited for Dino to continue talking.

"Fran got hurt really bad, so that may have explained all those bruises on him."

"Yes, but it doesn't fucking explain why _my _boyfriend was giving him a fucking _handjob!_" Squalo snapped. "He... Xanxus kissed _him _with more love and passion than he's given _me _in over _ten fucking years! _...I don't know, Dino... I'm just so tired of all this shit... I don't know what to think anymore... I don't want Xanxus back – I'm happier with you – but Fran... Belphegor misses him... They were pretty close, and he doesn't know who to side with..."

"Bel misses Xanxus, too," Dino pointed out. "He's still really upset about everything that happened; he thinks it's his fault because he didn't try hard enough to keep Fran away."

"How do you know that?"

"He told me. He also said it's scaring him seeing us together."

"Scaring him?" Squalo raised an eyebrow. "Why the fuck would us being together _scare_ him?"

"Because he hasn't known anything _but _you two together for the past eighteen years of his life, and... He doesn't like the way you become anxious around me."

"That's not _my _fault...!"

"I know it's not... But it's hard on him, too, Squalo."

With a sigh, the long-haired man ran his fingers through his locks. He nodded, knowing it wasn't fair to not think of Belphegor's feelings as well. "Alright... I'll talk to him about it the next time I see him."

Dino smiled at the smaller male as he nodded. "Good on you, Squalo. Want to go out for dinner tonight? My treat."

Squalo nodded, still getting used to being treated so well. "If it's on you..."

"Of course it is, Squalo; like I'd make you use the last of your savings on it."

A soft smirk crossed Squalo's face at this; at least _someone _cared that he was currently jobless and struggling to make ends meet.


	14. Chapter 14

In the months that had passed by, Fran had discovered a completely new side to Xanxus; in which the man had previously been an aggressive man with violent tendencies, the dark-haired male had been gentle with Fran. He hadn't hurt the younger physically, and though he could still get annoyed and spew obscenities from his mouth, he would quickly stop himself and instead look away, almost as if he knew what he was doing wrong.

Fran never minded whenever Xanxus would get annoyed with him; all that mattered was that he was finally getting the love and affection he had wanted for all this time. The boy even had a feeling Xanxus knew what he had been doing wrong, and was working hard to fix it. That was all that he could ask of the man, so he tried his hardest to be understanding of the older male's temper.

"Hey, frog."

Fran glanced up from the couch, slipping his bookmark in between the two pages he had been reading. He slipped the book onto the coffee table before he stretched, his tired emerald eyes looking up at the man in the doorway. "Yes?"

"Steak." As an afterthought, Xanxus added, "Please."

Looking down at his wristwatch, Fran sighed as he pulled his blankets from his frail body and stood up. "It's two in the morning... Do you really need a steak now? I thought you were sleeping."

"I was, but I'm hungry." Xanxus stepped further into the room, taking teal locks in between his fingers. "I'll fuck you if you make me a steak."

Fran rolled his eyes as he switched the lamp off, moving to head into the kitchen. "That's not a fair deal; what if I don't want sex?"

"When have you ever turned me down?" Red eyes fixed on the boy, eagerly awaiting the answer.

"I don't know; maybe when you were harassing me." Pushing past the man, Fran made his way into the kitchen. "What if I just want to cuddle tonight?"

Xanxus snorted. "Cuddling is for pussies. Sex is the best thing we could be doing together."

"I like to cuddle more than have sex, so if that makes me a pussy, so be it." Fran flipped the kitchen light on as he looked around, regarding the mess laid out on the counters before him. "I'll clean up the kitchen and then make the steak."

Xanxus shrugged. He grabbed the younger's wrist as Fran started moving forward, tugging him back. He leant down, crushing their lips together, entwining their tongues for a few minutes before he picked the boy up from the ground, carrying him upstairs.

"Xanxus...?" Fran pulled away, wrapping his arms around his lover's neck as he noticed he was being taken out of the kitchen. "What are you...?"

"Steak can wait," Xanxus growled. He bit down at Fran's earlobe, nibbling at it as he slipped a hand in beneath the white pyjama shirt the smaller male was wearing. He caressed tiny nubs, bringing them to full hardness just as they crossed the threshold of their bedroom.

Fran moaned as he was dropped onto the bed, a large hand slipping beneath the hem of his pants. He cried out as he was grasped, the hand moving steadily along his shaft within seconds.

Xanxus lazily unzipped his own pants as he leant over the younger, chewing at Fran's bottom lip. "Can I do it hard?"

Fran shook his head, not liking hard sex; after what Byakuran had done to him, it had been hard to trust the older male with his body – he had been surprised when Xanxus had been so gentle with him, just glad the man seemed to understand.

Letting hot fingers prepare him for what was about to come, Fran closed his eyes and let himself be overwhelmed by the pleasure he was slowly getting used to.

_**~~XX~~**_

The next morning, Fran awoke to Xanxus shaking him awake. Emerald eyes blinked as the boy pushed himself into a sitting position, looking up curiously at the man.

"Xanxus..." Fran yawned, letting himself drop back onto the mattress.

"Get dressed." Xanxus himself was already out of bed and at the wardrobe, pushing moodily past all of the clothing Squalo had left behind; the younger male still hadn't been back to get his belongings, and Xanxus was beginning to believe the other never would. Seeing everything Squalo owned still sitting where he had last left them always bothered the man, but he just couldn't bring himself to move any of it – why that was, even he didn't know. "I need to take you to the company and go over shit for me."

"Why...? I wouldn't have any idea of what I'm doing there, Xanxus."

"Because that shitty shark's long gone!" Xanxus snapped unintentionally before catching himself. He took a deep breath before he explained, "...Squalo was my second-in-command... With him gone, that faggot trash has been dealing with extra loads. The prince trash refuses to work for me anymore as well, so I might as well teach you what to do."

"You're giving me a job at your company?" Fran blinked in disbelief, not knowing how he felt about this; while he knew they had been teaching Belphegor since he was eight, they hadn't officially employed him until he was older and more experienced.

But Fran... Fran had no experience whatsoever with how things were done.

"Do you want it or not?" Xanxus growled. He pulled a shirt out from the wardrobe, tossing it onto the bed beside him before he searched for pants. "If you don't, go the fuck back to sleep and let me have my shower."

"I'll take it, Xanxus; I just didn't think you'd be offering it to me." Fran climbed out of the bed as well, moving to his own room to get clothes ready for after his shower. He shivered slightly as the chill attacked his naked body, knowing to get himself ready as quick as he could; Xanxus hated nothing more than having to get up and go oversee the company, so he always left waking up for the last minute.

"Good." Xanxus disappeared into the bathroom conjoining his bedroom, leaving Fran to use the one out in the hallway.

As the hot water ran down Xanxus' body, he couldn't help but acknowledge how much it hurt to be replacing Squalo the way he was.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, Xanxus grabbed the bottle of shampoo – careful to avoid the one Squalo had always used for his own hair – and lathered a decent amount in to his dark locks. He knew not to think about Squalo because when he did, things didn't feel right. Squalo should have been back by his side, but they _all _knew that wasn't going to happen again.

_**~~XX~~**_

"This is really big." Emerald eyes drank in the surroundings, taking note of the floor they had just stepped out of the elevator onto; it was an open space with cubicles taking up most of the room, a few personal offices scattered along the walls, but what amazed Fran the most was how many people were working away at their computers or finalising paperwork – never before had Fran known so many people to be in the one room. "How do you keep track of everyone?"

Xanxus shrugged. "I don't. That was part of Squalo's job."

Fran nodded, walking past all the cubicles as he followed Xanxus towards the office in the far left corner. He was surprised that not one worker acknowledged their presence while, on the other side of the room, Lussuria seemed to be having pleasant conversations with anyone he passed. Then again, this _was _Xanxus they were talking about, and Fran could only imagine the way he had treated his workers.

Finally arriving at the office Fran presumed to be Xanxus', he was surprised by how neat it was inside; two desks sat on either side of the room, computers sitting on both of them with documents spread against both tops. There were filing cabinets resting by each desk, while a bookcase containing various folders rested by the door. The couch was pushed against the wall away from the door, resting under a huge window that oversaw the _much _smaller buildings that surrounded the company. Unsurprisingly, a wine rack sat next to it, filled with various bottles. Fran could only roll his eyes at this sight.

"Come." Xanxus led Fran over to the desk on their right, sitting the boy at it as he pressed the power button on the monitor. He scribbled the password down on a sheet of paper before he slipped it beneath the keyboard and logged the younger in. He brought up the email tab, giving Fran his first job. "Read through those emails. Some of those are regarding mergers and business negotiations. Any one of those you see, reply back explaining that Squalo is gone and you're taking over and will be up-to-date with everything soon."

"What do I do if they're for different things?"

"Gather what they're about and reply as best as you can. If you're not sure what to do, tell me." Leaving the desk, Xanxus moved to the other one before he logged in, typing steadily away at the keyboard.

Fran worked slow through the emails, doing as best he could to make sure he wasn't about to ruin everything and accidentally sell the company to the highest bidder. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he had only gone through a dozen emails before the office door opened and Lussuria stepped in.

"What do you want, faggot trash?" Xanxus pushed the desk chair away as he kicked his feet up on the desk, caring nothing for the documents he knocked to the ground.

Lussuria smiled gently as he closed the door behind him, aware of the fact that Leviathan had followed behind in order to try and get Xanxus' attention. "I'm just here on Squa's behalf, dear~"

"That shitty shark?" Xanxus raised an eyebrow before he grit his teeth, angered by the fact that, as hard as he tried, he just couldn't seem to escape the younger's existence. "What about him?"

"To be honest, he moved on shortly after you two broke up." Lussuria knew he was treading a fine line here, but he also knew that Xanxus had the right to know what was going on. "He's been living with me, but started dating Dino about a week after. He's going to move in to Dino's home tonight, so I just thought you should know that they're going to go get his belongings today while you're not home."

"He's left his shit there for all this time because I've been _home_?" Xanxus rolled his eyes. "Fuck, what was wrong with _you _getting it for him?"

"To be fair, Squa didn't want any of it back because he felt it would be too hard remembering you at the sight of it all. Dino's been a sweetheart and coaxed him into going to get it all~"

Xanxus growled as he ran long fingers through his dark locks. It bothered him to know Squalo had moved on from him so quickly, but he also knew he had seen this coming for _years _now; Squalo and Dino had been best friends long before the silver-haired male met Xanxus, and it was no secret the clumsy blond crushed on the younger male – Squalo just happened to like Xanxus more.

Shaking his head, Xanxus convinced himself he didn't give a shit what the two younger males were up to. "Why did they get together in the first fucking place?"

"Well, you know Dino~ He's so sweet and loving; he put it out there that he was still interested in Squalo if Squa wanted him, and gave the poor dear time to think it over. Squa was feeling a bit lonely and took him up on the offer."

"Stupid fucking Cavallone scum..." Xanxus snarled. He glared angrily at Lussuria before he hissed, "There was a fucking reason I never liked that shark trash being near him..."

"Honey, Squalo would never have cheated on you; he was just spending time with his friend. That's all."

"Hn. I suppose the little fucker doesn't want me back in his life at all."

Lussuria frowned as he nodded, a sad tone in his voice. "It's very hard for him, sweetie... Maybe things will change with time, but for now, he needs his poor heart to heal."

"Like I give a fuck; I don't want him back, either." Xanxus crossed his arms against his chest as he gestured to Fran, still sitting on the other side of the office. "I've still got that fucking frog; I didn't lose anything."

"What about Bel, honey? He misses you just as much."

"Well, if the little fuck didn't quit on me, he _wouldn't _miss me."

"He's just conflicted and confused about what's happening; he doesn't know any better – no matter his age, it's still the same as if his beloved parents divorced."

"We're not his parents; his real parents kicked his face in daily and made sure he knew his brother was better than he could ever hope to be."

"Maybe so... But he views you as his parents."

Before Xanxus could reply, Fran asked, "Does Bel-senpai miss me, too?"

Lussuria looked over to Fran, smiling as he nodded. "Of course he does, dear. As I said, he just doesn't know what to think, and he's scared of making the wrong decision regarding this whole thing."

"Maybe I should go and see him..." Fran glanced at the keyboard, his emerald orbs conveying his conflict; he was certain that Belphegor would still be mad at him for what he had said about the baby during their last fight, but he loved the blond and didn't want to lose him. "Can I go see Squalo, too?"

"I'm sure Bel would be happy to have you visit him, dear~ But Squalo may still need some more time to himself; he's still healing, after all."

Fran nodded in understanding, turning back to the computer; he knew this conversation probably wasn't any of his business in the first place.

_I hope Squalo will eventually want to see me again..._Fran sighed as he tapped away, responding to one of the emails. _I really miss him... He was like the father I never had..._

_**~~XX~~**_

"Are you really going to go see that prince trash again?" Xanxus looked at the other from the corner of his eye, his attention mostly on the road before them.

Fran shrugged, never taking his eyes away from the passenger window. "I want to, but... He's probably got enough on his plate without me adding to it..."

"I don't give a fuck if you do or not," the older male clarified. "Just... don't leave."

"Why would I leave?" At this, emerald eyes focused on the man, confusion prominent in them. "Xanxus, you should know by now that I really _do _love you. I'm not like Bel-senpai; I can see for myself what the truth is, who did what, and I _know _who I'm siding with. Squalo overreacted to something he didn't understand, but I can understand where he was coming from. He took his hurt out on me, but that doesn't change the fact that he was wrong in his assumptions, or that he was the one to have given me the life I had. He made a mistake because he was blinded by despair. You and I... We messed up, too, Xanxus. I should have listened to everyone and stayed away from Byakuran. In my own hurt... I sought out your comfort when I shouldn't have. We all messed up, Xanxus – that's why I'm not siding with anyone about this; I'm just trying to get over it and move on with my life."

"What would you do if the shark trash ever wanted me to take him back?"

Fran didn't even hesitate to answer. "I'd let him have you, if that was what you _both _wanted. I was the one who got in between you in the first place, and even now I know it's not right I have you. It's not fair to Squalo, but he's moved on, so there's no sense in me not taking my chance with you."

"For a snarky little shit, you sure do have your head on right." Xanxus reached out, patting teal hair. "I'm kind of glad Squalo brought you home – I like you a lot more than I do that snobby little blond trash."

"I think everyone knows you never liked Bel-senpai, Xanxus; you made it clear more often than not."

Xanxus snorted. "True. Make me a steak when we get home. ...Please."

"Okay." Somehow, just hearing Xanxus say please made being the man's personal slave worth it.


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry for the late (and probably shitty update, anyway). I've had to bury my dog and I'm devastated over it. I don't want to let my mourning get in the way of life so I'm trying to continue on normally, but it may not always be possible. Forgive me, but because of the unexpected event, I want to finish this fic off as soon as possible; I had actually been working on it when it happened, so it hurts to work on this particular fic. Apologies in advance. **

When Xanxus' eyes snapped open at an ungodly hour of the morning, it was to Fran's phone ringing. Growling to himself, he elbowed the boy next to him, frustrated to have had such a good dream disturbed.

"Stupid frog trash, answer your fucking phone." Xanxus shoved the younger again for good measure, having never been able to tolerate his sleep being disturbed.

Fran blinked sleepily as he glanced at Xanxus, his eyes blurred with sleep. He took his phone out from under his pillow, finding an unknown number ringing him. He was half-tempted to leave it to ring out on silent and go back to sleep, but for reasons Fran may never understand, he instead answered the call.

"Hello...?" Fran tried to keep his eyes open as he awaited the reply, only to come to his senses as he recognised Squalo's quiet voice on the other end of the line – it had been more than half a year since the boy had so much as heard from the older male, so why would Squalo be ringing him at... At three-thirty-two in the morning?

"Shithead..." The sounds Fran could hear in the background told him Squalo was in a car, but what the hell was going on? None of this made sense. "Get your ass down to the hospital now."

"What? Why?" Fran rubbed at his emerald orbs, not understanding; this just... This wasn't right.

"Mammon's about to have her baby, and Bel demands you to be there." Squalo mumbled something to someone in the background before he turned back to the phone. "...Bring Xanxus, if he'll come."

Fran had become excited at the knowledge of his friend finally having her baby, and he couldn't help but sit up in the bed, tugging the blankets further over his naked body. "I'll be there, Squalo. Where do I go?"

"I'll wait out the front for you. Hurry your ass up."

"Okay." Ending the call, Fran turned to look at Xanxus, finding red orbs looking back at him. "Mammon's having her baby, and Bel-senpai and Squalo want us there."

Xanxus grunted, almost as if he was agitated by this news, but he still got himself out of the bed and went to fetch clean clothing. "You're fucking lucky I've needed to talk to that shitty shark, or you'd be walking to the hospital."

Fran rolled his eyes as he, too, went to get dressed, excited about what was going to happen; for months, he hadn't seen nor heard from any of the others, but what better way to meet up with them than with Mammon having her baby? Even Xanxus seemed to understand the importance of this as he was a man who would _never _have gotten out of bed this early for _anything_ else.

Making sure to put on his best clothing, Fran made himself look presentable as he moved back to Xanxus' side, following the older male downstairs and out to the garage.

_**~~XX~~**_

Having met up with Squalo and Dino by the front of the hospital, the two had led them up several floors and to a waiting room, explaining that until the baby was born, it was better to wait out here lest they get in the way.

Xanxus hadn't said a word to anyone ever since their arrival, and though he often accidentally locked gazes with Squalo, they were both quick to look away, clearing their throats in uneasiness. Dino copped nasty glares from the oldest male, but he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut and instead talk to Fran, catching up on all their months apart.

Suddenly realising something important, Fran asked, "Did anyone call Master and tell him?"

"Bel tried, but his phone is off." Squalo looked down at his fingernails as the minutes ticked by, wishing he could gather the nerve to talk to his ex.

"Oh, yeah; Master never sleeps with it on because apparently his Japanese friends are too stupid to realise Italy is in a different time zone, and always ring when he's sleeping." Fran earned a laugh from Dino, a snort from Xanxus, and a small smile from Squalo.

"They mean well," Dino said softly, sticking up for the others; he also was close to Mukuro's friends, even thinking of one as his little brother.

With a sigh, Squalo stood up, uttering soft words over his shoulder. "Anyone for a coffee?"

"Please." Dino smiled at his lover while Fran nodded.

Xanxus was quick to get to his feet as well, striding lazily over to the younger's side. "If someone doesn't go with you, you're going to get yourself fucking lost."

Squalo swallowed heavily as he nodded, used to Xanxus' ways of hiding what he really felt; what the taller male was saying was that he wanted to talk alone with the younger. "...Okay, Xanxus..."

Fran and Dino looked at each other as the two left, deep concern in hazel eyes as the blond said, "Do you think they're going to fight again...?"

"I don't know..." Fran moved closer to Dino, resting his head against the older male's shoulder as he yawned. "I'm tired... When will the baby be here?"

"It could take a while, Fran. Be patient. This is Mammon's first baby, so it won't happen quickly."

Fran nodded. He didn't know anything at all about babies, let alone how labour worked. He didn't mind waiting here, though; he wanted to see the baby as soon as he could.

_**~~XX~~**_

"You're an ass. Do you know that?"

"I know."

"I hate you so much."

"I know."

"You put me through so much fucking shit, and I'll never forgive you for _any _of it."

"I know."

"...I miss you, though... So fucking much..."

"..."

Xanxus and Squalo were just coming back from the cafeteria, each carrying two hot cups of coffee. Squalo had a pained expression on his face while Xanxus appeared to be as indifferent as ever, but inside, the older male was in turmoil; what was he supposed to say now that they were finally together again?

"I just wish... we were still teenagers..." Squalo sighed as he took a sip of his drink, his dark eyes locking onto red ones. "When did we drift apart like this?"

Xanxus shrugged. "..."

"You really hurt me, Xanxus... I loved you so fucking much, and I _trusted _you..."

"I know."

"Stop saying that!" Squeezing his eyes shut, Squalo shook his head. "If you knew... If you knew, you wouldn't have done it in the first place!"

"I'm an ass, Squalo. Remember? Just because I know now doesn't mean I knew then. I didn't... realise... to the extent..."

"It's too late now, Xanxus; you had your time to realise how much of a fucking bastard of a boyfriend you were, but you didn't until I left you. Don't think you can have me back just because you got a fucking dose of reality."

"I don't want you back." Xanxus shrugged, ignoring the look of hurt that crossed the younger's face. "I have the frog trash, and you have that clumsy scum. We're even, aren't we?"

"You can't even... You don't even have the fucking decency to apologise, do you...?"

"I never said I wasn't trying to."

"..."

"I have no one to argue with, or to make me do some fucking work at the company. If I go to sleep, the frog trash just leaves me. If I give him orders, he obeys. He doesn't yell and cause a fucking scene in front of everyone. I miss that. It made going to work somewhat enjoyable because I liked seeing how you'd react to everything."

"..."

"And there's no one to tell me what a lazy ass I am, and no one can cook steak like you."

"If that's your idea of a fucking apology, than you can forget i –"

"- No one would ever put up with me like you did, and I'm fucking stupid to have not realised what I had until you left. I was a complete ass to you because I took you for granted. I've leant my lesson."

"..."

"Are you working anywhere else?"

"...No... I used my savings on paying rent to Lussuria... I moved in with the Bucking Horse once I became broke – nowhere else would employ me."

"Will you come back to the company?"

"What? Why the fuck should I? So you can treat me like shit again?"

"So you have a job and you're financially stable, you dumb fuck. Why the fuck would you pay rent to that faggot trash, anyway?"

"Because he gave me his spare bedroom, fed me his own food and treated me as if I _belonged _there; I _made _him take my money because I'm not some inconsiderate fuck moocher."

"Take your old job back. And bring the prince trash with you. It's boring without you two."

"I don't want it back, Xanxus."

"Take it. Fifty per cent pay-rise and double the lunchbreaks. You can even have your own office and I won't bother you unless I have to."

Squalo sighed. "You're not going to give in until I say yes, will you...?"

"Of course not, you stupid fuck. Take the job offer."

"...Well... I guess it's better than learning a new job..." Squalo nodded to himself. "Yeah... I really need the money... Just one condition though..."

"What's that?"

"Can we go back to being friends?" A shy smile crossed Squalo's face, a hopeful glint in his eye.

"Why the fuck not?" Xanxus shrugged. "You did all my homework for me when we were still friends; you might do all my paperwork for me now."

Squalo snorted as he stopped walking, shaking his head. "Like fuck."

The older male didn't move as skinny arms wrapped around him; he just let his chin rest against a head of silver hair, feeling calmer than he had in a while.

"I want to start over with you – let's face it; I can't _not _love you, even if you _are _the biggest dick in the world."

"I'm glad you acknowledge my size like that."

Snorting again, Squalo shook his head. "Well, that too, I guess."

Smirking in triumph, Xanxus started walking again, letting the younger follow him.

_**~~XX~~**_

Even with a coffee in his system, Fran had still fallen asleep after a while, his head in Squalo's lap as he lay sprawled across the couch. Dino sat next the long-haired male, talking quietly to his lover as Squalo threaded long fingers through teal hair. Xanxus had disappeared somewhere, but no one could blame him; it had been several long hours of waiting, and Xanxus wasn't a patient person in the least.

"She's birthing it naturally, isn't she?" Dino whispered, careful not to disturb Fran's rest; it was a lot to ask of a seventeen-year-old to be sitting here like this, and the blond could only admire the youngest's loyalty; he knew a lot of teenagers Fran's age would have already gone back home.

"She is." Squalo dropped his head onto his boyfrend's shoulder, trying not to let his eyes slip shut; he was as tired as Fran looked, but he knew he needed to be here in case something happened. "Can you try that pineapple bastard's phone? It's past seven; he's probably awake by now. I'll try Lussuria's phone soon."

Dino nodded, grabbing his phone from his pocket as he stood up to have some privacy. Fran was still fast asleep, leaving Squalo to stare down at the boy as he caressed a teal head. He sighed, feeling more at peace now that he had the younger back.

"You'd hold it against me if I admitted I missed you, you snarky little shit..." Shaking his head, Squalo added on, "I should have been more understanding..."

Letting the silence fall back over them, Squalo instead turned to look out of the window. There wasn't much to see except for a dark grey sky and the occasional flash of lightning here and there, but the man didn't mind; any sound was welcome over the deafening silence.

When Dino stepped back in, it was with a relieved smile on his face. "Mukuro said he's on his way now."

Squalo nodded. "That's good; Bel would probably bitch if he never showed up."

The blond laughed as he took his seat once more, talking quietly with his lover while Fran slept peacefully. Xanxus still hadn't come back from wherever he had disappeared to, and soon enough Mukuro made his own appearance, his usual playful smile on his face as he sat on Squalo's left.

"I did wonder why I had so many missed calls on my phone when I turned it on this morning." The blue-haired male reached down, shaking Fran into waking consciousness. "Now I understand."

Fran blinked as he started waking, sitting up as he yawned. "Master...?"

Mukuro nodded, opening his arm as he felt the younger instinctively press against him, a head of teal hair resting on his shoulder. He hugged the boy close as he waited patiently for the baby to be born, wondering how long it would take.

_**~~XX~~**_

"About time you came back." Squalo moved over to give Xanxus room to sit down as the man approached them, a bored expression on his face. "Where were you?"

"Steakhouse." Xanxus shrugged, taking the spot that had been offered to him. "Any news?"

"No."

Fran, who had been lightly dozing on Mukuro's shoulder, woke back up at Xanxus' voice. He blinked a few times before he looked around, his attention suddenly grabbed by one of the doors in the distance opening. He watched it, curious about who was leaving and why, only to reach out and tug at Squalo's shirt as he pointed to the blond who had just ran out, his face red with tears.

"Bel-senpai's crying." Fran became more alert at this, knowing _nothing _really made Belphegor cry – had something gone wrong? Was everyone okay?

"Fuck." Getting to his feet, Squalo chased after the younger male, leaving the others in frozen surprise. "Belphegor!"

Fran watched as Belphegor stopped running, only to turn around and face Squalo, sliding down the wall behind him as he dropped his knees to his chest. He crouched over them, his hands tugging violently at his blond locks as he cried into his knees, choking as Squalo asked him what was wrong.

The blond's mouth opened and closed wordlessly a few times, and just when Fran thought he might answer the long-haired male, he could only frown when Belphegor cried harder, turning away in protest.

What had happened for Belphegor to be in this state?


	16. Chapter 16

**This will be the last chapter for now. I had more planned out to further develop Xanxus' and Fran's relationship, but as I explained last chapter, I'd just rather end it here. I may come back to this and finish it off for good in future, but I'll have to see how that goes. **

"Twins..."

"What?"

"Twins..."

Squalo blinked as Belphegor whispered to him, finally understanding what had happened to make the younger so upset. He frowned as he sat down next to the blond, wrapping an arm around trembling shoulders.

"Just because she had twins, it doesn't mean everything's about to go to shit, Bel." With a sigh, Squalo shrugged. "You were so excited for this once I assured you you'd be a good parent. Why should it change now that you've got two of them?"

"They... They'll hate each other, and... It'll be just like when I was little..." Reaching up to rub at his eyes, Belphegor dropped his head onto Squalo's shoulder. "I don't want my kids to hate each other like Siel hated me... I'm scared I won't be any good as a parent..."

"How will you know if you don't try? If you just sit here and turn your back on them, they _will _hate you. If you give it your best, there's nothing more you can do, and they'll appreciate it. Are they girls or boys?" Squalo knew the gender should have made no difference, but it was no secret Belphegor had desperately wanted a girl – it wasn't _his _fault he had had a horrible childhood and was terrified of his own kids having the same one he did.

"Boys..." The blond sighed, hugging his knees tighter.

"You've got to go back in there and hold them, Bel." Standing up, Squalo tried to tug the younger to his feet as well. "Go in and hold them, and give it all you've got – if not for them, but for Mammon; it must really be hurting her to know you've ran off like this."

"Mammy... didn't know they were twins..." Belphegor at first tried to resist being pulled up, but he soon gave in and allowed himself to be pulled into the waiting room with everyone else. He ducked his head, trying to hide his weakness from everyone. "Why did they...? I could have handled just one boy, but... But twins...? I can't... I'm not... I couldn't have two, Squ-Squ... I'll get so angry with them..."

"Everyone knows you have a temper, but you've _never _shown it to me or Mammon," the white-haired male pointed out. "You'd never hurt the ones you love, Belphegor – you're too busy being an attention whore to get mad at our notice of you, and these kids would _love _for you to baby them and never put them down. We all know _Mammon _hates when you baby her."

"Bel-senpai..."

Belphegor blinked as he looked at Fran, his chest warming slightly as he noticed Fran and Xanxus had come after all. In a soft tone, he asked, "Yes, Froggy...?"

"Bel-senpai needs to see his kid and give it a hug because I'll seriously hate you forever if you walk out on it now." Fran was emotionless as ever, but they all knew he wasn't joking this time around – having been abandoned by his mother and never meeting his father once, he was sensitive about these kinds of things. "You've given Mammon all this hope that she'll have you to help her with this, and now you're out here crying. Bel-senpai never cries over anything, so why over this? Because your family hated you? I don't know what they did to you, senpai, but you'd be doing the _right _thing by going back in there and giving your kid love and Mammon support because right now, you're no better than _either _of our parents. I know you're scared, but you don't have to be; just be yourself and the baby will love you, senpai."

"They're _twins, _Froggy..." Belphegor flinched as Mukuro kicked his shin, turning to glare at his friend. "What?"

Without a word, Mukuro stood up and grabbed the older male's wrist, dragging the smaller man back into the room he had come out of. No one followed, knowing Mammon had been clear she wanted only Belphegor with her during the birthing process.

The delivery room was fairly small, doctors and midwifes going about their jobs. Mammon was resting in the bed peacefully, a layer of sweat on her face as she panted softly, two tiny babies resting against her chest. They had small strands of golden hairs on their heads, their orbs half-closed as they lay peacefully against their mother. They were wrapped in blue blankets, the warmth of the woman soothing them.

The woman nodded politely to Mukuro, knowing the man was trying to talk sense into his friend; it had honestly hurt her when Belphegor had left the room in a hurry, but she understood; her boyfriend hadn't been prepared for _twins_.

"Viper, may I pick one of them up?" Mukuro was polite, respecting the fact that Mammon might not want to part with her babies just yet. He offered a smile as he received a nod in response, ever-so-carefully picking the twin on the right up.

"Be careful with him, Mukuro..." Mammon watched with wary eyes as her friend gently cradled the baby boy in his arms, showing it to Belphegor.

"This is your kid, Bel." Mukuro stepped closer to the older male, trying to encourage him to interact with the baby. "Don't you want to hold him?"

Belphegor swallowed as he looked in between Mammon and Mukuro, trying his hardest to believe that everyone was right when they reassured him that his kids would have a better childhood than _he _had; he really wanted these kids – he just didn't want to be a bad father.

"Just hold him for a bit and see how you feel," Mukuro suggested. He passed the baby over when his friend finally nodded, helping make sure the blond was supporting it properly.

Belphegor's obscured eyes looked into purple orbs, much like his own; while Mammon's eyes were a lighter violet, the blond had deep purple eyes reflected in his child. He frowned as he locked gaze with the boy, knowing he didn't want to give the kid back to Mammon, but nervous of the fact he may unintentionally hurt it.

"You're doing well, Bel," Mammon promised, holding the other twin in protective arms. "You're doing very well."

Belphegor sent a genuine smile at his lover as he nodded, feeling his confidence boost from her words alone. He then turned his smile onto his child, shifting his arms in a manner that felt more natural to him.

Mukuro was quick to leave the room, wanting to give the others some privacy. He instead reported back to the group awaiting news, happy to say that Belphegor finally seemed accepting of his children.

After just a few more minutes of waiting, a nurse came out to explain they had taken Mammon to a room and they were welcome to visit her and the babies. They eagerly moved to visit the new additions of the family, and even Xanxus found himself enjoying the company of the others, a welcome change from the loneliness he had felt ever since his breakup with Squalo.

_**~~XX~~**_

Within the few weeks that had passed, Xanxus found himself being dragged out to Belphegor and Mammon's home more and more, Fran loving to go around and help with the babies. The dark-haired man didn't usually mind because it gave him an excuse to and see how the twins were doing – he would take it to his grave, but he _did _like the babies and enjoyed helping out with them.

Fran's happiness was forever unbridled as he would sit on the couch, cradling one of the twins carefully in his arm as he used his free hand to hold a bottle in the tiny mouth, cooing at it as his eyes sparkled with happiness. Belphegor often watched him like a hawk whenever the teenager had hold of one of his kids, but he never said anything; he was usually too busy with the other one to do so.

Mammon loved her children more than anything, and though she was protective of them around others, she had a soft spot for Fran – she knew the boy loved being around them, and part of her felt guilty about the fact that the teenager had never gotten to feel the baby kick, even if that hadn't been her fault.

"Mammon?"

The woman blinked as she turned around at Fran's voice, having been finishing off lunch for everyone with Mukuro's help; the blue-haired man was around just as much as Fran was, having known Belphegor and Mammon long enough to consider their kids as his nephews.

"Yes, Fran?"

Fran looked up at Mammon, his head cocked slightly to the side. There was no baby in his arms as he wouldn't _dare _walk around with one – even if he would, Belphegor absolutely refused to allow the younger to hold them unless he was sitting safely in the chair.

"Are you going to have another baby?" Emerald eyes held an excited look at the idea, eagerly awaiting Mammon's response.

"Why do you ask? Thank you, Mukuro." Taking a cooking utensil from her friend, Mammon placed it down on the counter beside her as she waited patiently for the teenager to speak.

"Because I wasn't really around for the last pregnancy." Fran shrugged, as if it wasn't a big deal. "I just wanted to know, because I want to help if you have another one."

"That's kind of you, Fran." Mammon smiled appreciatively at the boy. Looking up at Mukuro, finding heterochromatic eyes watching her curiously, she said, "Bel and I want to try for a girl now. He wanted a girl originally, so it's only fair he gets one after being put through the unexpected twins scenario."

"Bel-senpai loves them." Fran turned to look around at the entrance as he heard footsteps cross the threshold. He found Xanxus walking in, a baby cradled in one arm as he extended his free hand to pass an empty bottle to Mammon.

"We're going." Red eyes fixed on Fran as Xanxus handed the baby over to Mukuro. He reached out, pulling Fran to his feet. "I've got shit to do."

The boy nodded. He walked over to Mammon and Mukuro, wrapping his arms around each adult individually in farewell. The woman patted him on the head while Mukuro returned the embrace with one arm, beaming down at the younger.

"Bye, little one." Mukuro straightened his back once Fran had pulled away, his attention drifting back to the baby in his arms. "I'll be on Facebook tonight."

"I'll talk to you then." Fran turned back to Xanxus, slipping his small hand into one that dwarfed his. He felt Xanxus squeeze it in uncomfortableness before the grip relaxed, the man still getting used to this kind of intimacy.

The two walked back out into the living room, finding Belphegor sitting on the couch with the other baby in his arms, the young man grinning widely as he watched the TV. He laughed at something on it before he turned to the others, smiling in a very bright manner.

"Hello~ Shishi~" The blond knew his guests were leaving so, putting his fist out, he bumped it against Fran's.

"We're going home, senpai." Fran shrugged as the other pouted at him, knowing Belphegor hated whenever he left; it had been so long since they had been together, the older male hated letting him go. "Don't give me that look; I'll come back out tomorrow."

"You'd better." Looking up at Xanxus, Belphegor nodded politely; he knew that the older male still didn't like him one-hundred per cent, but at least their relationship had improved over the past couple of weeks. "Bye~"

"Bye, senpai." Fran started walking towards the front door, leaving Xanxus behind to return the blond's nod. Neither of them said a word to each other, but they didn't have to; they shared a mutual respect of the other, even if they still weren't particularly close.

Xanxus was quick to catch up to Fran, the two walking down the path in comfortable silence. They watched as Squalo's car pulled up to park behind the dark-haired man's, and within seconds both Squalo and Dino stepped out.

Fran was mostly quiet as he listened to the three converse, just glad that they were all getting along; when he would return back to his home just half-an-hour later and get cuddles from his lover, he knew that Squalo leaving Xanxus was the best thing that could have ever happened to _both _of the adults; Squalo was very happy in his gentle, loving relationship, and Xanxus was working hard to be a better partner, even if he was still a pain in the ass at times.

Most of all, Fran couldn't have been happier with Xanxus; for so long he had been convinced his relationship would be no better than the ones his mother had been in, but his wish to be treated the same way Belphegor treated Mammon had come true instead – even if he didn't get babied like Mammon did.


End file.
